Trapped in the Core
by Lady Lara Croft
Summary: AU [5]Kouji's a step closer to his mission...KOUJI, an ex-cop, accused of murder he didn't commit must find the real killer & simultaneously stop the Red Viper's most sinister plan yet!
1. Too Late

Disclaimer: I own _nothing_ from Digimon.

Author's Note: So here goes the classic A/N before the story. This is my first attempt writing a Frontier fic. I personally ask you readers to help me through our wonderful reading journey. Meaning I want constructive criticism, comments, questions-anything that I need work on. Just don't cuss at me, I find people to be immature like that. I know you can review without cussing, unlike some _certain others._ FYI: I put in (parentheses) after certain phrases so you'll understand exactly what they mean. Forgot to say, this is an Alternate Universe. Still debating whether or not the rating will remain PG-13 or increase to R in the future.

**Trapped in the Core**

By: Lady Lara Croft

**------------**

**-1- Too Late**

_February 17, 2013 _

5:05 PM

His dark blue eyes were fixed on the windshield before him as he situated himself comfortably in a black and white vehicle. With the windows rolled down, the wind licked his black hair causing it to fluctuate energetically. A strand of hair whipped against his cheek but took no notice of it. He was in deep thought that he was unable to hear the other voice adjacent to him. His thoughts were cloaked in past life experiences, reminiscing about his twin brother. It had been so long since he last saw him and spent good quality time together. Abruptly, his thoughts switched to a rather personal matter he conjured up. Finally, he felt a nudge on his right arm as he snapped out of his eternal trance.

He turned his head slightly to the right. "What is it?" he quizzed him.

"I asked what you were thinking," the driver who owned the voice replied, casually returning his glance back to the road, avoiding the incident of a crash course collision.

"Nothing really. I was just…resting my mind," he answered as he gave half a smile.

The other man shook his head in disagreement. "I know you better than that Kouji. Something's troubling you, am I right?"

He hesitated for a minute before answering him. He didn't have to tell him word for word what made up his thought. In fact, he had his own right not to tell anyone anything. But the person who had spoken before him had not only been his colleague for the past two years, yet also his friend, support, and comfort.

"I was just…thinking…." Kouji's voice trailed off as he caught a glimpse of kids running after each other outside. How he had wished he was a kid again who enjoyed playing in the hot sun and talking with friends. But that was all over now. He was a grown man.

"Yeah? Thinking about what kiddo?" curious, the other man said.

"If I had made the best decision entering the police force," spoke Kouji, letting out a sigh that could have out-weighed an anvil. The inclination has not fully attracted his attention until this very day.

The other man chuckled and again shook his head in astonishment. "You know, I half expected you to say that on your _first_ day. But now?" he took a quick glance at his friend and continued, "Now that it had been two full years did you only think about it? I find that quite amusing actually. I must say, over the course of two years, you've highly progressed each and everyday I watched and worked with you. Heck, the Chief even says you're his best guy out of anyone."

"How thoughtful Lance. I'll keep that in mind."

Lance, at the age of twenty-six, four years older than Kouji, was a man of medium built who was twice the size of Kouji with green eyes, brown hair and a casual attitude, scoffed at Kouji's answer. "Don't let that get in your head too much. Wouldn't want to start competing with my partner."

"I'm on for a competition if you so much pleased," Kouji chuckled and relaxed after their brief conversation. When he was only twenty years old, he thought about the many possibilities for his professional career-lawyer, manager, business associate, salesman, etc. In the beginning he believed he would have been someone who wore pressed suits carrying a briefcase that worked in a multi-million company. But his concept proved him very wrong. He got more than he bargained for and it was going to change his life he never expected.

He met Lance, who introduced himself as Police Sergeant Lance Inaei, at a coffee shop just outside his apartment and kicked up a conversation. Kouji asked his newly found police friend the joys and risks of being an officer. That simple, nonchalant discussion triggered his interest in the particular career of criminal law. Thus ending up in Sendai Headquarters, the Northern Police District at the age of twenty. It was strange how those two strangers visibly connected, when back then, it was a bit hard for Kouji to make friends. But time does pass, and eventually everything does change.

_"D-ranger signal 44J, do you copy?" Kshhk! _(D-ranger a robbery just occurred. Did you get that?)A voice, which collided with static, from Lance's BC radio emitted as he made a left turn at Weiyu Avenue. It was the Dispatcher.

He picked up the receiver as he drove the car with one hand and pressed his thumb atop the radio. "10-4, I copy." _Kshhk! _(All clear. I received it.)

_Kshhhk! "Reported robbery over at Shiku Street, targeted-Central Bank. Break--" Kshhk!_

"I copy. Signal thirteen Central Bank." Kshhk! (I received it. Check address for Central Bank)

_Kshhhk! "723 southbound Shiku Street. Break—"_

"10-4. I'm en route to Shiku Street in three. Signal eight code seven. Over and out." (All clear. I'm going to or I'll be there in three minutes. Send backups. End of transmission.) answered Lance who blasted the siren as the car sped past many vehicles.

"Well now, this shouldn't be too hard. We've handled something like this before," Kouji commented as he took out his pistol and reloaded it with a fresh clip.

Kshhk! "D-ranger. Code eleven." Kshhk! (I've arrived on the seen) Upon arriving, they quickly hopped out of the car and proceeded with caution towards the entrance. They crouched as Lance opened the door, careful not to alarm the robbers; they were a bit surprised when all they perceived were people on the ground. Where were the robbers? Kouji crawled behind the right desk while Lance crawled on the left. Employees and customers hugged the ground in fear. Two parents held onto their two children near the entrance.

Kouji peeked to the side who witnessed two robbers with guns drawn that just walked out from the bank register, their arms hooked from under the neck of the two hostages. They wore a typical black "bandit" outfit, their face hidden by the black mask. Both of them were fully equipped with Uzis, AK-47s and several handguns. Lance saw a third man over at the vault loading his brown sack with all the cash he could get, but he only had a single Uzi on him.

_Only three… no, this must be a trap. There's always more than three when robbing a bank; after all, it **is** a risky business and someone needs a car get away. Then again, what isn't risky these days?_ Kouji thought as he signaled over to Lance for an action plan.

"This is the police! Let the hostages go and drop your guns!" Lance yelled from the desk.

The two culprits whipped their attention over to the voice's direction. They laughed and sarcastically answered a "No". "Let them go or we'll shoot!" yelled Kouji, as he took one more peek.

"Sorry! Access denied!" the first robber shot back firing at the desk Lance was hiding from. The people on the floor screamed and the first robber fired again, this time to the ceiling.

"How are you today? My name is Ishiro," introduced the first robber with great ridicule. "This over here, is Mr. Sheiko, he's a good friend of mine," Ishiro said as he 'proudly' introduced the second robber.

After their 'unexpected' intro, Lance gave Kouji the single nod; he aimed at Sheiko, careful not to hit the hostage at any cause. Kouji's gun was ready to spit death when suddenly several exchange of gunfire came from behind. He looked back and saw a fourth robber shooting back with Lance. But he heard Sheiko's hostage scream and triggered his gun.

At the moment of releasing the bullet, Sheiko quickly shielded himself with his hostage as it entered the hostage's heart chamber. The female victim fell to the ground without as much as a whisper. "Damn it! Shit!" spoke Kouji disappointedly. He had no intention of killing a civilian and he knew this is going to cost him. He had to act fast.

He heard Lance order him to take cover as Ishiro took out his sub-machine gun, knocking his own hostage with the Uzi butt, and blasting the papers on the desk. Kouji left his hiding place and followed the trail of more desk, ducking. He exchanged fires with the two robbers.

Meanwhile, the robber responsible for the money evaded the bullets as he ran out the door.

"Give it up cops!" the second robber said as he picked up another hostage. He trained the gun on his new hostage's temple, likewise with the first robber, proceeding to leave the Bank.

_Damn! Why are there no back ups?_ Kouji pondered. "This is K Minamoto, do you copy? We have signal fifty and code 44P. (We have shooting and robbery in progress) We need those damn back ups!" he angrily said as he pressed on his own radio. "We are out numbered! We have a 10-56D hostage! I repeat: 10-56D hostage! (We have a deceased/dead hostage)"

_Ksshhk! "En route in five. Second report received- billionaire Tony Vaux's daughter abducted. Given the apologies, all cops should be there now. Over and out."_

"Shit! Damn Vaux hogging all the cops!" Kouji said.

"Hey there, Mr. Officer! I know you are hiding from us. Let me tell you this. If you don't show yourself, with your guns put away, we will shoot these two targets! One hostage already died. I guess that's a real sad thing to be filed in your record isn't it?" Ishiro and Sheiko screamed as they slowly paced themselves nearing the door.

"Do as we say!" the fourth man, whom Lance had been exchanging fires, yelled. Kouji stood up, his weapon holstered, so did Lance with his hands in the air. The fourth robber, also known as their get away, made sure his two colleagues made it out safely. Kouji snaked his hand towards his gun, as the last robber saw this he shot Lance twice.

"Nooo!!" Kouji yelled, drawing his gun and firing at the fourth robber before he collapsed to the ground. He rushed quickly to Lance's aid, but life had been taken from him. Outside, loud sirens approached, Kouji looked at the clock above the vault: 5:30 PM. They were too late.

-----------

_Chief Superintendent's Office_

_6:45 PM_

Kouji Minamoto threw back his head as he sat on a chair waiting to hear Chief Superintendent's agitating words. He recalled the unfortunate event that took place an hour and fifteen minutes earlier.

_It was my fault. I shouldn't have made that awful move. I should be the one dead right now, not Lance. He was the best partner I've ever had. He showed me the ropes from the first day I stepped into his office. He was a good man and his death should not be in vain. He was more than a partner- he was a true friend, he was also like a brother to me. In fact, Lance was the only person I was able to get along well enough with, in this place at least,_ he thought as he slammed the bottom of his fist against the rest of the chair.

"No need to get riled up," a raspy voice said from behind. Startled, Kouji spun his head and stood up as Chief Superintendent Ishinabe past him reaching his seat in front of the younger man. They bowed and both retreated to their seat.

The Chief took out a folder from his desk drawer and placed it on the surface. It was faded yellow with an inch stack of paper in it. He pulled himself closer to the desk, folding his hands together. Kouji waited for the Chief to talk; he was long ready for whatever came out of his mouth.

"This here," his forefinger tapped on the folder, "is your record. I pulled it out, since that…unpleasant incident occurred today."

"Go on. Hit me with the bad news," replied Kouji.

"I'm taking your badge."

"Say that again?" asked Kouji dubiously. He wasn't sure what he had heard so he asked him again. "You're doing what with my badge?"

"With all due respect in addition to your 'past excellent record,' I have decided it's best to take your badge from you," the Chief said, slower this time.

Kouji was taken aback. _'Past excellent record'…yeah, until today._ He rendered a big gulp, thinking how fate turned its back on him. It couldn't be happening to him. Lance said that he was the Chief's 'best guy', so why this?

"So how long is my suspension?"

"Suspension?" uttered an amused Chief, his hand rubbing his chin. "This is not a mere suspension. It's a permanent resignation. You're free to look for a new job."

"Don't tell me the commission was exclusively from you," spoke Kouji who now towered the Chief. He already felt angry but at the same time shocked from the news. After performing his best in the force all of a sudden he took a downfall. Realizing that he had taken an action that was 'unacceptable' to the Chief, he sat down and apologized.

"If you honestly want to know the reason of your resignation, then I will tell you."

"I've been waiting for you to say that. What could be worse than this?"

"The woman's family, the one whom you killed today, is suing us. Nevertheless, they also want us responsible for the funeral fee, and ask the government money for 'police error.'"

"Killed? You're accusing me of something I had no intention of doing!? D'you really think I would eliminate a hostage on the crime scene? I did what I had to do!"

The Chief looked at him and crossed his brow. Some things just got worst. He looked at the ex-cop and gestured for his badge. Kouji took it off, but before he handed it over he recalled one of Lance's advice on his first day of duty…

_"You're a fresh face here, what's your name?"_

_"Kouji Minamoto. You're Lance right?" The other guy nodded at the question._

_"Hey, just a word of advice, the Chief here isn't too happy most of the time. You know he suspends and even kicks out his best guys for no reason or for taking a wrong turn. But you know what? If you're meant to be something and do something, _you always go back to it

The last phrase of Lance's sentence stuck to his mind like a leech.

"You did what you weren't supposed to! You killed a victim and our job was to protect them!"

"Just tell them the truth. I was aiming for the robber. Do you really think I am a police with no brain? Think about it. I wouldn't have become one if I didn't know what I was doing! And where was the back up team?" Kouji exhaled as he said his final word.

Both of them stood up and the Chief had lost his patience. He held out his hand for his badge. "If you will, Mr. Minamoto."

Kouji placed his hand over on Chief Superintendent's palm without taking his gaze from him, but held onto his badge for a second. "I repeat: Where was the back up team?"

"They were on their way. You knew that."

"I knew _that_ when I had to radio the Dispatcher asking for help. You gave us authorization to commence our duty, taking out the robbers, and you didn't send us back up?! Was that a miscommunication or something?"

The Chief sighed. "We had to track down Tony Vaux's daughter. You know he'd give anything to find her."

Kouji nodded furiously, his eyes burning. "Busy enough for the millions of money he'd feed you. Is that what you're all about? They killed Lance! Have you no compassion? What happened to the other squads? Don't tell me _everyone_ was there except the two of us? What about the nearby agencies?"

"No they weren't. They were on another call. There was a heavy factory explosion over at the southern border. And we felt we didn't need the other agency's help. It was within our district."

He didn't believe the Chief's words. Not only was he angry at the situation, he was furious at him. "Within our district or not, we're all cops and we're to respond to each other... You know, _'if you're meant to be something and do something,_ you always go back to it, just thought I'd let you have a piece of my mind."

He released his grip from his badge as it landed on the Chief's palms. "Let us hope your confidence will not disappoint you. You _may_ leave my office," the Chief said.

Kouji never hesitated to stay for a minute and headed out the door with a loud effect. He thought fate just slapped the worst thing that could ever approach him. Did he deserve this after losing his friend? Obviously not, but he's unfortunate as it is at the moment.

"This couldn't be the worst now. I have a feeling there's more to come," he whispered as he walked down the street away from Sendai Headquarters.

**TBC…**


	2. Reminiscence

Disclaimer: I have no license to prove that Digimon belongs to me.

Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews I received from the readers. I try my best to keep the characters IN character. I know some of you out there are so _critical_ about that part. Read away!

****

Trapped in the Core

By: Lady Lara Croft

[2] Reminiscence

__

The apartment door was left ajar. Slowly, the lights were turned off as a young man emerged from his simple shelter, the keys of his dwelling jingled on his right hand. His left hand attached with the silver doorknob and with no effort at all shut the door. He slipped one of the keys inside the slit of the lock that qualified perfectly. After twisting the doorknob and testing the door securely, he pocketed his keys and followed the pathway toward the two sets of stairs. Kouji was clad in navy blue Adidas sportswear and his face in a happy mood, all set to start his day.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, he performed some lunges as well as some basic stretching before starting his morning jog. He placed his hands on each side of his hips and inhaled the fresh scent of morning and exhaled as he prepared for his jog. A slight breeze touched his right cheek and closed his eyes, savoring the peaceful morning. After checking his watch he began walking on the sidewalk, parallel his apartment.

Within a block or so, he was already jogging while he greeted some neighbors who walked his way. There was an elder couple, Mr. and Mrs. Yukinara who humbly looked after his dog when he visited his brother several years ago for a week. He waved at them and said a simple 'hello'.

Then he passed by Mrs. Nakamura, a physician, whom he admired, not because of her beautiful face but because of her good sense of humor. She always had her way of bringing a nice smile on Kouji's face. In fact, Mrs. Nakamura reminded Kouji of his own mother and maybe that's why he felt close to her. She was very nice to talk to, easy to get along with, and very respectful of others.

Fifteen minutes have passed when he reached a high school, and decided it was best for him to improve his sprinting skills. He ran behind the school and surely enough there were other morning joggers running around the field.

He rested for a minute or so as he caught his breath. A mother and father trailed behind a little boy who ran unsteadily in between the white lines of the field. "Keep running! You're doing a fine job son!" Kouji heard, as the father encouraged his little son. In response, the little boy kept running and gave a thumb up. The mother waved back at her son and also gave a thumb up. Kouji smiled at the family who ran together in a fine morning like this one.

Following his short little break, he ran into the field and positioned himself in between two white lines. He lowered himself, his left knee in almost a right angle condition, his right foot and leg located slightly behind the left leg, parallel to the other leg. His palms barely touched the ground; he put his head down and put it back up. He breathed three times. He was ready to sprint. Making sure he was in a running stance, he counted until three under his breath and sprinted as fast as he could just like a real athlete.

His heart pumped rapidly as his leg muscles worked tirelessly. He could hear himself breathing heavily but he wasn't going to stop. He sprinted fifty feet, his heart still pumping like crazy. Then he reached one hundred feet and no way was he giving up. As he ran closer to one hundred and fifty feet, he could feel the warmth of his face combined with the cool wind that approached him. It felt refreshing to him. It felt cool and it felt…so nice. He pondered, Almost there. I'm almost done._ And with all his strength and energy, with his heart pumping so fast, and his leg muscles laboring continuously, he completed his two hundred feet sprint._

He walked for twenty feet and repeated the whole procedure three more times. When he was done, he looked at his watch that read 9:00 AM. He was long ready to leave the field. Feeling so content with the sprinting he had done, he walked back home but stopped at Lori's Café.

His eyes wandered around him as he looked at the houses and shops he passed by. They weren't that intricate like the ones in Tokyo City. Everything was just plain and simple, the way he liked to live. The neighborhood wasn't too big. He probably knew most of the residents in his area. The place was just right.

His hands were safe inside his pockets as he arrived at Lori's Café. He spotted a Police vehicle parked in front of the coffee shop as he entered the place. Right in front of him stood a Police man who waited patiently in line. The Police heard Kouji enter the café and greeted him a single nod, and likewise with Kouji.

"You've been running?" the police asked him.

"Yeah. It's a nice morning. I didn't want to waste it." I wonder if he's always like this. Talking to anyone he meets. Maybe he's just being nice, he looks friendly to me,_ Kouji thought to himself._

The other man nodded and looked back up ahead. Then he returned his attention to Kouji. "Mind if I ask if you're a long distance runner or sprinter?"

Kouji answered, "Not at all. I sprint just for fun. I want to improve my running." The cop just nodded. "So how do you like your job? Officer…"

"Inaei. Police Sergeant Lance Inaei," he said as he introduced himself. "It's pretty fun actually, once you get used to everything."

Kouji nodded and tilted his head sideways to the right to gesture the lady over at the counter was ready to take his order. Lance turned around and ordered a latte while Kouji ordered a frappucino. While they waited for their order, they took the little amount of time they had for an opportunity to converse with each other.

"So what do you do?"

"I used to work over at some electronic company, but I quit two months ago. It's not my type of work. So, what's it like for you?" replied Kouji.

Kouji's new friend chuckled and prepared for an answer. "To tell you the truth, I love my job. It's what I've always wanted to do and to be, ever since I was a kid. My father was killed when I was seven years old. And you might be thinking that I wanted revenge for that and yes, you're partly correct. But my father's death wasn't the only reason why I chose this job. It was for the children. I've read a lot of newspaper articles where kids were the main targets of violence and I want to do something about it. I want to bring justice to them because I believe that the kids today would do something great in the future. Being a cop means a lot to me. But of course, you can never be too careful on the job."

"That's true. It sounds interesting as well as dangerous," replied Kouji who took his frappucino from the counter and drank it.

He kept listening to Lance's reason of joining the police force. The joy was that he wanted to protect the innocence of the children, and the risk was getting killed or being shot at. Kouji's interest in Lance's job grew. He wondered what it would have been like if he wore the same uniform that Lance put on, or how it felt to use police gadgets. No, I don't think that's me. It's just a thought though, it wouldn't hurt trying to imagine myself become a police,_ he pondered as he continued to listen._

"I do what I do best. And if I died on the job, then I'll know I was doing the right thing and it's part of the whole cop thing. It's either you live to tell the tale, or you die for a good cause. I'd choose dying for a good cause…there was that time, the Chief suspended me. I didn't want to be suspended because I thought I was the best they ever had. I was hardheaded back then and so I quit for some time. I wanted to find something else to do but nothing worked for me.

So, the time came when I had a good talk with the Chief and honestly confessed to him that I wanted my badge back where it belonged, with me, and not in his office. All he did was laugh at me. He knew I'd be coming back around and gladly returned my badge on my palm. I guess I got lucky with my situation. I was only suspended and not kicked out. That's about it though."

"Luck was with you that time," the black haired boy replied looking at the time. They had been talking for nearly half an hour and Lance wrapped up their conversation.

"Well I have to get going. And stay out of trouble kid. I wouldn't want to cuff you up like the other bastards in this area."

Kouji merely laughed and nodded. "Don't worry. You may never know that I could be your future partner."

Lance chuckled and patted Kouji's shoulder. "You're all right kid. You're all right. And I won't be surprise if you ever make it in Headquarters. Take care of yourself." With Lance's last words, he walked out of the coffee shop and drove away in his vehicle. Kouji thought he was all right for a police, he was actually a kind talker, very polite.

"After all this time, I forgot to tell him my name," he said as he scratched his head. "Oh well that's all right. It has been a fine morning for me anyway. Maybe next time I see him I'll tell him my name." He took another sip of his frappucino before he too walked out of Lori's Café. Before returning to the direction of his apartment, he glanced back where Lance's vehicle sped off and said, "Police Sergeant Lance Inaei. Not bad for a cop…"

****

. . . .

Kouji's eyes quickly shot open. He lay comfortably on his couch; a blanket was wrapped around his body. It took him a minute to recall where he was. His eyes surveyed the area he was in and remembered he chose to sleep in his living room, inside his very own apartment.

He had been dreaming the day he met Lance at the coffee shop. But for a minute there, he felt as if he had been reliving that day. He felt he just met Lance yesterday and within a blink of an eye he was gone. "I remember that day…I will never forget it," he said to himself. He missed his partner. No. He missed his friend. He still couldn't believe he was dead and he'd never see him again. They would never work with each other side by side, nor would they eat their lunches together and talk about their day. It was over.

Kouji gazed at the clock above the TV. The sun was at its highest peak at 2:00 PM in Sendai. He had been asleep for nearly half of the day. The windows across him allowed light to infiltrate the lonely room. He reached over the center table that cradled the TV remote on its edge, defending his eyes from the sunrays with his bare arm. He sat up and pushed the button that eventually turned on a 27-inch black box. He ran his nimble hand through his ruffled hair, flipping the channels on the television.

__

"Good afternoon viewers and welcome. This is Izumi Orimoto, live from NHK Broadcasting Station, otherwise known as Japan Broadcasting Corporation. Stock prices had gone up since yesterday and surprisingly enough, it's still increasing as we speak, or shall I say, as I speak."

Japan's Women's Soccer team defeated North Korea 3-1. And what a game it was last night! Erika Niyama stated after triumphantly winning, "We did all our best to win. I know I was injured 11 minutes into the game, but that didn't stop me from encouraging my teammates. Soccer is my life and so is winning." To the fans out there, the women's soccer team will be holding a soccer session in two weeks. We'll keep you posted about this remarkable event.

In other news, report from the unfriendly incident that took place two days ago, Sunday, February 17, took the public by surprise. Since its establishment in 1987, Central Bank had never been the target for any armed robbery until two days ago. Aiko Liyama's family, the victim who died, is still waiting some words from Sendai Headquarters. They have yet to track down the crime lord who assembled the robbery. Tomorrow, Wednesday, there will a special tribute to Junsabucho (Japanese for Police Sergeant)_ Lance Inaei over at Sendai Cemetery. Friends as well as family are welcome to attend -"_

Kouji terminated the TV before the newscaster could add more to his memories. He didn't have any contact with anyone since the burglary.

And then, he remembered his family for no particular reason. He moved out of his dad and step-mom's house two years before he entered the police force. He wanted to call them and fill them in on the information, but he guessed that the news got to them first before he did, with his rational conclusion he took his mind off it. But suddenly the phone rang. Laziness clung to him but he had to answer the phone. He stood from the couch and marched toward the phone.

He picked up the receiver and spoke, "Hello?"

"Son! Are you all right?"

"Dad? Is that you?"

"Yes son. I called to see how you are doing? I'm sorry your step-mom couldn't talk to you right now. She's at a meeting. But I'm here."

Kouji fell silent for a minute. He didn't want others to feel sorry for him. But this was his family and he knew they cared about him, especially his dad even though when he was younger they weren't on good terms. But that was the past. He answered, "I'm fine dad. Not the best assignment I've had but it's nothing I can't handle. I don't want you to worry about me ok?"

He heard his father sighed on the other side of the phone. His son Kouji Minamoto had long grown up. He wasn't the little boy he looked after anymore, but he will always be his son.

"I know I shouldn't worry Kouji but I'm your father. I'm glad you're all right, that's all that matters to me. I was shocked about the news. I knew how close you and Lance was. I remembered the first time you were out patrolling with him around Sendai, he showed you tricks to determine the bad guys, and you told me that. Well, I won't take up your time son. Knowing you're all right make me happy."

"Thanks for calling dad. Take care."

"Bye son." Click. Kouji returned the receiver back on its resting-place. A slight smile formed on his lips. Deep down he really missed his dad. He knew he cared about him.

He returned to the couch and sat down as he threw his head back. He closed his eyes as another set of ringing was initiated.

He looked at the phone and mumbled, "Who could it be now? It better be someone worth talking to." He gave up his serene place on the couch and took the effort to answer the phone. He was surprised to hear the voice on the other line.

"Kouichi?"

"Kouji. It's been so long. I'm sorry about what happened. I have missed talking to you since both of us have been busy."

Kouji's emotions were mixed. He felt so happy his brother called yet at the same time he felt sad because his brother addressed the unfortunate incident. "News spread like grass fire doesn't it? I appreciate your calling though."

"Yeah. Tell me you're all right. I'm worried about you."

The other boy smiled. "I'm fine brother. Thanks for caring."

"Anytime. Aren't you supposed to be at work right now?" Kouichi asked anxiously.

Kouji hesitated before answering. Should he tell him the truth about his resignation? Or should he make up some other story?

"I'm off duty today. I asked the Chief if he could give me a day off."

"Oh. Well I'm glad you took the day off. You should get some rest. Sorry for our quick conversation but I have to read this DNA sequence here at the lab. I'll call you some other time. Bye Kouji."

"Bye Kouichi."

He stood there as his hands let go of the receiver. He recalled the day he contacted Kouichi to tell him about his new job as a police. Kouichi couldn't believe it but he sure as hell was happy for his brother. He said being a cop wasn't that bad at all, especially when you're paired up with a decent partner. Lance was patient with Kouji and he was thankful for that. Kouichi would joke around saying; "If I were Lance I don't think I'd have enough patience for your temper." Kouji would laugh at his brother's little joke. He didn't mind it at all.

While Kouji entered the police force, Kouichi on the other hand also associated with the police back in Shibuya. He worked at the lab most of the times. Often he worked with forensics but usually he could be seen in his own lab a couple blocks down near Shibuya's Ward Office, he was a biotechnologist, as some of his colleagues there called him. Kouji was proud of his brother's job.

****

. . . .

By the time he stepped out of the shower, it was already 4:30 PM. His towel hugged around him just below his waist. Droplets of water fell from the tips of his hair as it landed on his bare chest.

He looked at the face that stared opposite him in front of the mirror. He rubbed his left eye gently and examined his face. He took another towel that hung behind the door and dried his hair as much as he could. After doing so, he tossed it inside the hamper. He turned off the light and proceeded in his room.

He pulled out a light blue shirt and blue sweatshirt, along with his boxers and dark blue pants. He closed the door to change into his new clothes.

When finished, he appeared looking fresh. He walked over to the fridge and inspected what foods were edible and what could be piled inside the garbage. He held the door open and stared at the inside of the fridge. Nothing looked inviting to his eyes. To his disappointment, he grabbed a coke can and shut the door. He concluded to eat outside. He felt he shouldn't risk his health for the old food that was kept in the fridge.

Kouji grabbed his keys on the center table and headed out. He drank his coke as he locked his door. He walked down the two sets of stairs that waited for him and went directly to the bus stop. He thought pizza would be a good choice to satisfy his hunger and that's where he was headed. The pizza place was ten minutes away from his place. While on the ride, he thought about the pizza he wanted to order.

__

Pepperoni pizza sounds good, there's also cheese…hmm…but I've had too much of that. Maybe I'll get a combination or pineapple and ham. Nah, I'll stick with pepperoni, though Kouji as his head met the window of the bus.

The bus stop a few feet away from the pizza place as he hopped out of the transportation.

"Same as always," he said, looking around the crowded place. He could barely see where he was going since there were so many people all over the place. He squeezed himself the crowd trying hard to enter the pizza place. He wanted to get in, order his pizza, and get out as quickly as he could, but chances are, he may be stranded for a couple of minutes.

After much effort of pushing and apologizing to people he ran into, a rewarding pizza made his day. He sat inside the pizza place as he ate two slices of pepperoni pizza and another coke.

Just as he was about to take a bite from his second slice, a hand grabbed his shoulder. With his quick reflex and intuition, his right hand caught the wrist of the stranger's hand on his shoulder and twisted it. He heard a cry of pain from the owner of the hand.

"Oww! Minamoto stop that!" said the voice. Kouji looked over to see the stranger on one knee. He was in pain. When he realized who it was, he released his grip.

"My bad Derucci," he apologized. Derucci, a man of blonde hair and hazel eyes at the age of twenty-seven, was a Senior Officer who worked with Lance and Kouji at the station. Kouji didn't recognize him for a minute since he wasn't wearing his police uniform.

"I just came by to say hi to you since I saw you. You didn't have to break my wrist," Derucci said as he sat across Kouji tending to his wrist.

"Well, good to see you too. How's work been without me?" he questioned as he finished the last bite of his second slice. Kouji wondered if the rest of the squads actually talked about him or if they just let it go like the whole incident happened years ago.

Derucci sighed. "Everyone but the Chief wanted you back. A couple of our guys were protesting. They said what happened wasn't entirely your fault and the Chief should have given you a break. But of course, we really can't say anything since we don't know if the commission was exclusively from the Chief. If it was from him, then, we'll have to make the Chief reconsider about your resignation. The boys are giving the Chief such a hard time ever since he kicked you out."

Kouji laughed as he sat back. "Sounds like you're all having fun over there without me. Too bad I'm missing all of it."

"Well, I'm also here to tell you that we caught one of the crooks last night. Luck was with us. He was trading some money for drugs in an alley near Central Bank and who happened to check the place out again but me."

"Much props to you. Did you guys make him sing yet?"

"I tried to but my partner Ohika beat the shit out of him."

The younger man laughed. He couldn't believe what he just heard. "You mean, little boy Ohika did that? Well I'll say. He's not much of a wimp as I thought he was!…But that's good news for me. You guys keep up the good work. I'd catch those criminals if I wanted to but I have no authorization."

"You've always been the one to follow the rules Minamoto. I'm proud of you. I'll tell the boys not to stop annoying the Chief. You're one hell of a guy."

"Thanks Derucci. I'll be going now. I'll see you around." Kouji got up and was ready to leave.

"Yeah. You going to the cemetery tomorrow?" Derucci asked before Kouji completely disappeared from his sight.

"I'm going all right. I'll see you boys over there."

****

More to come…


	3. Out of Time

Disclaimer: I'm in no possession of Digimon, but the big companies do like Toei Animation Co. and Saban Entertainment, Inc.

Author's Note: Sorry I didn't give out the Chief's information earlier in the story. I got preoccupied with other parts of the story and forgot about it. And please feed me constructive criticism. I need to know what to work on. It would be much appreciated.

Trapped in the Core

By: Lady Lara Croft

****

. . . .

[3] Out of Time

. . . .

...8 Months Later…

[October 26, 2013]

Saturday 2:15 PM

The phone rang in the hallway of a room inside a condominium located West of Sendai. It rang twice…then thrice… and was finally answered during the fourth ring. An aged man of fifty-five acquired the telephone and murmured a soft "hello." At first, no one replied on the other line. The elderly only heard silence as he echoed another "hello" to the absent voice. When he had made his decision to release the receiver, a voice developed on the other line. He listened intently as the secretive being begun to speak.

"It was very nice of you to pick up the phone." Said the voice and paused._ "Thank you. I was getting very impatient when you didn't answer at first ring. What took you so long?" _The possessor of the voice was also a male, sounding very deep with a commanding tone in his voice, and suggested somewhat younger than the other man was, but not too young. He seemed eager to speak with the other man.

"Who is this? I don't recognize your voice. Tell me who you are," the elderly man demanded as his eyebrows drew closer.

The voice answered._ "We knew each other. We…were friends, last time I checked we were **inseparable**. What happened, hmm?"_

The older man gripped the phone tighter. Was this a practical joke some kids in the neighborhood conjured up? Because if it was, he sure didn't feel thrilled about it and he was going to have a talk to those kids who came up with this pathetic joke. In addition, he'll have to lecture them about respect for the elderly.

"All right. Stop this stupid joke right now. You kids better do it now before I come over at your house and cut your telephone line!"

The other voice chuckled in amusement._ "My dear old friend of mine. How rude of you to think that I would be playing a childish joke. You haven't changed obviously. You were as innocent and naïve as you have been. When will you learn?"_

"What are you talking about? Don't instruct an old man like myself. I will tell you right now, your deception will not go unpunished. I'll be able to find out where you live."

"Well, if you have a way of finding my whereabouts, certainly you will use your sources…that is, if you have enough time to do so. Frankly, I think your time is running out, fast. You won't know who I am. But then again, if you are intelligent, you'll be able to figure out who this is, before you expire. And may I add: It won't matter anymore after this phone call."

He was in deep thought. Did he ever hurt someone so badly that karma itself returned to him by the means of a prank call? If so, who was the person he had hurt so badly? Since he was obviously a human, he had quite a bit of bad terms with some people in the past. Though it might not have been too serious for someone who was so bent on revenge that after considerable amount of years to strike back, he all of a sudden appeared out of nowhere and began his comeback. But what if he _had_ hurt someone in the past so seriously? But why begin with a phone call as a threat? Now he thought of people he brought pain. Who could it possibly be out of hundreds of people he met almost all of his life!

Unfortunately, after much deliberation no one came into mind. At least none he was too familiar with to recall any ill-starred incident that concerned anybody. In fact, the only thing he remembered was the time he left his date for his senior prom because he got back with his ex-girlfriend that same night, almost thirty or so years ago. But the girl he ditched didn't hunt him down after so many years, which wouldn't explain the sudden phone call if he hadn't had any contact since then. And the voice _definitely_ did not belong to a woman. It would have been all too weird.

"I am waiting," emitted the voice harshly._ "I have been waiting for this moment for such a long time."_

The old man snapped back into reality. The voice on the other line didn't leave yet. He sounded severely determined to spark some memories from the old man's decaying gray matter in the skull.

"Soon you will know my desire, Chief Superintendent Ishinabe. But you will not be there to witness it. There will be no time for you to run and get yourself to safety. The cops cannot do anything about it. You will suffer as I have suffered. Remember that it was you…**you** who brought me pain, agony, and sorrow. It was all you. And now, it's time for me to strike back," the voice spoke coldly and halted._ "There is no time to escape. I will return to you what you did to me."_

The Chief gasped. So he _did_ hurt someone horribly in the past. But he still had no memory of the person. Would this simple phone call cost him his life?

He acknowledged the fact that someone was out there, somewhere, trying to get back at him, and he knew he would need help even if he _is_ the Chief of Police. Though, in the Chief's thought, his position in the force couldn't really help him, no…he _felt_ his position in the force couldn't help him, at all.

"Whoever you are and whatever I have done to you, I'm truly sorry. I hope that you find it in your heart to accept my humble and sincere apology," said the Chief truthfully.

A short silence fell between the two men. The mysterious man thought of ways to keep playing with the Chief's mind. The Chief also contemplated who in the world this man could be. And he detected no connection to anything the man had said to him about his past and how he had caused him pain, sorrow, and agony. What could all of this mean?

There was a small chuckle from the other man's voice. _"Life is full of surprises, you know."_

"I have apologized to you so I think it is wise to terminate this conversation. I am getting very mad."

"No. You are getting annoyed because you cannot remember me," replied the voice mockingly.

He warned the man, "Play all you want. Before you know it, I will be putting handcuffs around your wrists. A man like you should not be playing with the police."

"Actually, I do like this game of mine. I should do it more often. I will tell you again and again, your time is running out. There's nowhere to hide. And there's no way to escape. You are getting too old. You need your **rest**. Good-bye my friend. It is time that you retire from your profession," the voice bid sarcastically._ "I wish I could speak with you longer. But business is business. I will take from you what is mine."_

"Wait!" the Chief called out after the other man. It was too late for him. All he heard was the repeating busy tone of the phone. He needed more time for more information. As it turned out, the joke's on him.

The Chief gawked at the phone in disbelief as he whispered: "Who was that man?"

He restored the receiver in its rightful place. He walked some steps through the hallway, on the opposite direction where the phone rested, and turned left as he entered the living room. It wasn't too big, just right for an old man who lived alone and desolate.

Directly in front of him erected a brown old recliner, and to the right of it was a gray lazy boy chair. The center table formed a square, its surface made of thick glass, and the frame made out of oak wood as well as its legs. The rug beneath that held everything was a Persian rug. It looked beautiful, with artistic designs all over while the color red and white overpowered the greens, yellows, and indigos. There was no TV in the living room, just a small radio, off to the side of the brown recliner.

A tall lamp stood several feet beside the gray chair to the right. Past the lamp, a book shelf about five feet wide was hammered to the wall, and across the book shelf mirrored another one, both fashioned from oak wood and both served as a divider of the small living room, and the upcoming kitchen. Evidently, the old man had a fashion sense for oak wood.

The kitchen itself measured not too big. It had a sink, counter, stove, and the fridge, all stuck together. The table looked uninviting, enough for someone to just stand while eating. It was fit for two people and no more. The surface had food spills that had been forgotten cleaning. It seemed the Chief had no time in his hands to brighten the kitchen necessities, especially his small dining table.

The bathroom itself located way back at the end of the hallway. And the Chief's room was to the right of the hallway as well.

The Chief decided to turn around and ventured inside his room. He felt the need to look for something that could remind him of the caller… But what specific information could he likely discover? He didn't even know where to begin his crucial search.

His bedroom didn't look that immense either. Off to the far-right corner lay his bed, the closet across his bed had double sliding mirrors for doors, beside the entry way was a wooden desk that held his personal computer, and other police documentation. That was all, plain and simple.

Within seconds of entering his room, he rummaged through his closet, threw his clothes, shoes, boxes, luggage – anything that got in his way, until he possessed a very old-looking, yellow, 8x11 paper-sized envelope. He untangled the string that bound the flap with the body of the envelope, and peered inside it. His hand came across a folded piece of scrap paper – which looked illegible – and opened it. A note revealed handwritten in a fancy calligraphy font.

He read: _It is the year 1976. You and I discovered something so wonderful in time's history, well…I think in our history together. Keep this as a reminder of our dear friendship. I know we are going our separate ways and inside this I kept something I thought of. You may read it if you wish. It may not be the best of my thoughts, but it doesn't hurt to dream big…does it?_

As he concluded his short reading, he emptied the envelope as all the contents scattered on the floor in front of him. He knelt down and went through each one. _I don't believe it,_ he thought.

He read paper after paper as old memories slowly returned to him. His hands stumbled from one paper to another, tossing one set of paper aside, retrieving it, then discarding it. His eyes then mainly focused on one crumpled paper, the size of an index card, examining each line of the paper as so not to miss anything that held importance regarding the intimidating calls.

In a way he felt afraid of his findings in his closet, although…why should he be afraid when after all he was in charge of the police force in Sendai? What was the reason for that? What was it that he read that mortified his thoughts? The caller said he meant business with him, and now the Chief accepted the unsuspected phone call to be a serious account that should not be overlooked.

He started mumbling to himself while he fluctuated from one paper to another. He became utterly disturbed and uneasy with every paper he held. His face almost became expressionless.

"It was wrong. It was wrong. No!" he exclaimed firmly but nervously. "It never should've happened! It was an accident. I didn't want anything to do with it."

He breathed moderately, gasping for air. His hands felt cold. His face was warm.

Shoving all the papers back inside the envelope, he folded it in half and inserted everything inside another yellow packet envelope. He sealed it with tape, wrote the address of the new recipient, with additional instructions inside, and left his condominium to mail it.

****

. . . .

6:00 PM

The door slammed shut behind Kouji as he entered his apartment. He removed his shoes, leaving them near the entrance peacefully and at the same time dropped his athletic bag on the floor accompanied by a thud. He looked sweaty after three hours of rigorous work out in the gym. For the past eight months, working out had been his usual routine as well as jogging very early in the morning.

Being out of the police force meant he was on the verge being out of shape, and he wasn't about to let that occur because being fit and strong kept him healthy. After all, he was highly trained in the force and he felt he shouldn't lose that quality even if he was…out of uniform.

Kouji turned on the water, in the bathroom, worked on the temperature to his satisfaction and took off his clothes as he closed the door for privacy, albeit he lived alone. Twenty minutes later he emerged from the bathroom smelling fresh and clean.

He walked into his room, got decent, and ventured out. His left hand held a towel, which he used to strenuously dry his hair as fast as he could in record time, on his own that is. While he continued this ritual of his after showering, he approached the phone to check if anyone had left him any message while he was away.

"You have four messages," the machine echoed. Kouji pressed a button as the first message played.

"Kouji. This is the Chief. I must speak with you." -Beep-

Kouji became curious after hearing the Chief's message. For a minute there he froze and wondered _why_ after eight months of no communication that the Chief suddenly contacted him.

"What made you call me today?" he mumbled sounding half-angry.

He tossed the towel above the arm of the couch, pulled out a chair from the dining table, sat down in front of the phone, and pressed another button to continue playing the messages, his hair still in disarray.

"Next message sent at 3:30 PM. -Beep-_ Kouji, I'm leaving you another message. It is urgent that I speak with you. It's a must!"_

"What's a must?" he muttered confusedly.

"Next message sent at 4:00 PM. –Beep- _My third message to you. I know you're probably wondering why I just contacted you after such a long time. I…I can't explain it on the phone. I need your help. Hurry."_

The Chief sounded almost too scared to speak on the telephone. His voice sounded shaky at the same time incoherent. Kouji sensed immediately something was wrong. But could his apprehension be correct? Should he listen to the next messages?

"Next message sent at 4:30 PM. –Beep- _You must hurry to my place. It is very important. There's no time to lose. I ask of you Kouji. Help me. Help me."_

"Oh man. If he left me messages every half hour then he's not kidding me!" he said scratching his head. He thought for a minute whether he should stay or leave.

Why should he go to the old man's aid? After all, he didn't give Kouji a second to chance in the force. Should he be cruel to him just as the Chief was? But the Chief was just doing his duty…then again should he be a noble man and help?

If I stay, he's likely to call me again and tell me to come and I'll never hear the end of this. If I want him to stop calling, I might as well do it now. I'm getting really tired of his begging. I mean seriously, if this was a joke what kind of man is he? I mean…c'mon now, he's old, and grumpy, and…oh who am I kidding! Let's get this over with shall we?

Before he made his final decision, he played all the messages one more time for confirmation. Convinced that the Chief wasn't kidding he stood from his chair and quickly fixed his hair before heading out.

This better be worth it. I'm not paying him a visit for nothing. It should be something good. I don't want to face another disappointment.

****

. . . .

7:35 PM

He stepped out of the train; his hair looked better than before, and ran after the flight of stairs that led to the Chief's condominium. He gazed up in the clear and peaceful heavenly sky as the stars emitted their celestial glow that twinkled endlessly. It was such a beautiful October night. A slight breeze hugged his black hair, whipping his face, and the breeze encircling neck. He was thankful he wore his black leather jacket rather than a sweatshirt, in spite of the fact that he didn't feel the need to zip up his jacket and prevented the breeze from uncovering his body, hidden underneath the white shirt he wore.

It wasn't a long walk from the station. He reached the Chief's condominium around eight o'clock on the dot. He stopped in front of it and examined the small place; his hands safely tucked inside his leather jacket pocket for refuge from the cold.

The little house was painted off white, bushes in front of it with a tiny pathway, flattened with gravel about three feet wide, that led from the sidewalk to the front door. Off to the right was a paved driveway, but saw no car.

The window of the small dwelling looked as if it hadn't been washed in years. It had mildew covering almost the whole windowpane. The door was painted mahogany with an intercom attached to the right side of it. The neighborhood itself didn't present to be such a pleasant place. There were several old beat-up cars parked on the curb that no one took notice and no one seemed to own it.

Vandalism appeared to be a common vogue on the neighbors' house walls. Hostile graffiti were almost everywhere. He felt sorry for the old man, but then again, he was a cop and he concluded people had some respect for him and maybe feared him a little because of his title.

"So this is the place. I thought he would be living in a more decent neighborhood. I guess I thought wrong," were his words before he approached the front door.

He pressed on the rectangular button of the intercom and spoke softly and calmly as he could. He waited for an answer as another breeze embraced him. Thirty seconds passed and a new voice became audible. The door opened and the Chief set his anticipating eyes on the younger man. Kouji rapidly observed the older man wearing his gun, securely holstered under his light-brown jacket. He gestured for Kouji to come inside, and so he did.

The Chief led the way through the dark hallway and into the dim-lighted living room. He motioned for Kouji to sit down on the brown recliner while the Chief took the gray seat. The condition seemed gloomy and unpredictable. Happiness had not been present in the room since early in the afternoon, and more likely that it will never come.

"Thank you for responding to my distressed calls. I know it must have been a bit of an annoyance hearing the same words from me every half hour," said the Chief.

Kouji looked down then up and forced out a slight smile. "I came here because you wanted me to. And I hope I get something out of this."

"W-would you like some tea?" he asked as he slowly stood up, stammering.

Kouji shook his head. "No thanks. I don't need any drink to get me interested in whatever you have to say."

The Chief sighed and retreated to his seat. "All right. You are here so I can talk to you about…about the robbery you and Lance handled eight months ago."

"I don't believe you." Kouji raised his right brow and gave him a stern look. "That's not why you called me. Why don't you just come clean, here and now."

"I can't fool you Kouji," the Chief sighed in defeat. "I-I…I truly need your help. I had a phone call, earlier this afternoon. It wasn't a courteous call I tell you. It was a call I never expected in my life."

The younger man brought his right ankle atop his left knee sitting comfortably while his hands rested on the arms of the recliner. He looked uninterested with the Chief's words. He thought about having made a wrong decision. He felt the urge to leave the Chief because their conversation hadn't progressed at all.

"What is this? Are you playing some joke with me?" He said, and paused. "A man like you with a high position plays a trick for his own pleasure? You are unbelievable."

"I'm not playing any game. And my title as the Chief of Police means nothing now."

"Oh? Tell my why that is? I'm very curious to know."

He hesitated for a moment before he found a suitable reply. He knew he couldn't go around in circles while he told him the truth. "This mysterious caller warned me of my 'time running out' and I believe he's about to make his move."

"What are you talking about?" Kouji asked in frustration. "Would you just tell me what's going on? You still haven't explained to me why I'm really here other than you need my help!"

Again, the Chief let out a sigh, this time heavier than before. He began, "Twenty years ago, a very old friend of mine and myself made a wonderful, yet fatal discovery. It was the most extraordinary thing that ever happened. I'm afraid that-that he wants it back."

"Want _what_back?" the young man snapped quickly.

"Information."

"What _kind_ of information? Tell me." Kouji's eyes became colder than ice. He was getting so tired of half-answers. His right foot had dropped down and he was suddenly _very_ interested with the Chief's upcoming tale. Maybe there was more to it than what he heard earlier. Perhaps the Chief finally got to the point why he summoned Kouji. He anticipated for more explanations.

"You'll find out what the information is later."

"We're going around in circles here!" The bottom of his right fist met the arm of the recliner hard and fast. "First you tell me that some strange guy needs some information and you can't even tell me what that information contains?" replied Kouji. He already felt angry and his patience started to run out. He shouldn't have wasted his time for this nonsense.

"I need you to help me track down an old friend of mine."

"Oh really?" he said mockingly. "Why me of all people? Why can't it be your other friends in the force huh? You've got them with you. Go to them."

The Chief gave out a deep, massive sigh. "Because I don't trust any of them. And I trust you. When you were a rookie, I saw how good you were with all the hard assignments I gave you in the field. You were one of the best. And you still are."

"And don't forget, you were the one who took me out within a strike," Kouji responded bitterly, reminding him of his resignation.

"I took you out to protect you."

"Protect me?!" he spoke, surprised of what he had heard. "Protect me from what? The press? The media? Everyone?!"

"Not entirely. I wanted to protect your well being. I knew that if you had stayed there, you would have wallowed yourself in misery. You lost your friend and yes that was very hard to take. I know what you felt because it happened to me as well."

"_'Wallowed myself in misery'_…there's a first from you. Are you saying you destroyed my career just because you wanted to protect _my well being?_ You're a sick joke Chief!" His mind raced with many thoughts. _Why? How could he do this to me? I loved my job! He kicked me out just because he thought he was protecting me? I should've known, the order wasn't from the Commissioner General of the NPA. Damn it! Why did I give in? I should have fought right in the beginning._

"I'm sorry if you feel that way. But everything will make sense later on." He hoped. The Chief hoped his words would be correct. He felt so ill telling him the truth. But he had to or otherwise Kouji would never have understood the purpose of his presence in front of the Chief.

"It'd been eight months since the robbery and everything that happened. I don't see myself in a better condition!" Almost immediately right after Kouji spoke, he was on his feet. The Chief also stood up.

"You must understand. You're the only one who can help me."

Kouji's eyebrows were narrowed closely and he had a chilling look on his face. He spoke coldly. "Why should I care about your own business? You destroyed my career because of your own selfishness and lies! You take care of your own problem. You didn't help me."

"But you don't understand!"

"I understand as much as what you have told me! As of right now, I came to a conclusion that after all this you are a delusional man! There's no reason for me to stay here any longer."

"But-" the Chief interrupted Kouji yet at the same time the younger man also interrupted his former boss.

He looked at him with great intensity. "I didn't spend eight months out of the force just so I could be your personal body guard. Handle this yourself Richard."

He already turned his back when a hand stopped him on his shoulder. Richard Ishinabe grabbed him forcefully and spun him around. He knew he wasn't done with the boy. He couldn't leave yet. There were more things to be discussed and there were more things he should know. Kouji needed to calm down and the Chief knew that. He didn't mean to cross the line, he never meant to do it. It just happened because he felt inferior and afraid after the call.

The Chief took out a small silver key from his pocket and placed it on Kouji's palm. Kouji looked at it dumbfounded. He asked why Richard had given him a key and the elderly told him, "It fits something over at East Sendai. Go to Ohta's Club and look for a man whose name is Takeda. Recite to him the number two, seven, nine, four, zero, one, one. After that he'll know what to do. It's important."

Kouji looked at him in the eyes and figured the man wasn't joking. It was something real that he had to do and he must accomplish it. He withdrew his gaze from the Chief's eyes to the key he held and closed his palm tightly. "You better be right with this," he said. The Chief nodded rhythmically as Kouji pocketed the key and the Chief felt satisfied.

Outside, gray, unwelcome clouds instantly engulfed the once clear blue sky filled with twinkling gems. It sprinkled which turned into rain, and almost within five minutes it changed into a complete thunderstorm. Lightning struck miles and miles away accompanied by the loud boom of thunder. It got colder and nastier outside. Mother natured seemed to be throwing a fit, as the howl of the wind grew obnoxiously. The thunderstorm was relentless, the lightning unmerciful, and the thunder grew stronger. It became a dark and dreary night as shadows in the night became darker and dismal.

Back in the living room, the Chief gladly offered Kouji to stay while the storm released its frustration. Flashes of light reflected inside the lonely room. Kouji didn't want to take the offer and would rather walk in the rain. The next thing both of them knew, everything happened in lightning speed as the next minute came unexpectedly. Gunfire echoed in the tapping rain coincidentally with the roar of thunder, while lightning flashed in the distance, as everything in the room went black.

Blood was shed this chilling night. Who killed tonight? And _who_ was killed in the quick action?

****

. . . .

9:20 PM

Two bodies slumped on the floor, the center table destroyed, the chairs turned over, the lamp rested atop one of the victimized chair, and one of the two men that lay on the floor remained lifeless.

He awoke with a throbbing pain at the base of his skull. He tried opening both eyes but everything in his sight was a blur. He tried blinking a few times to get a clear vision of his surrounding. He witnessed flashes of light inside the room concluding that the thunderstorm hasn't stopped. He lay on his left side wincing in pain. The whole living room was in chaos.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he tried to get up. He accomplished this triumphantly but painfully. What had happened?

He felt the back of his head, it hurt like hell, then saw a tiny speck of blood on the tip of his fingers. He also felt something on his right hand that he failed to notice earlier. He looked at it in disbelief as he held an HK P7M8 handgun. _What? Where did this come from? _He thought. He dropped the gun quickly as he staggered on his feet.

He looked around. He saw the Chief lying on the ground, motionless. He walked over to his fallen associate and kneeled down. He turned over the body and perceived a pool of blood. His hands were drenched in blood as well as part of his shirt; he then experienced severe emotion of fear, confusion, and wonder as he finally came to his senses.

"Oh my God!" he muttered. "What happened?"

His ears were quickly alerted by the distant resonance of sirens. He needed to flee before the police arrive. If they ever find him there, surely he would be questioned about the murder and most definitely believed that he's the perpetrator of the cruel activity.

With a swift movement his hand connected with the doorknob of the main door. He opened it slightly, peered left and right as he ventured out into the rain. He listened for the sirens; it came to the right. He couldn't go there, he'd get caught. Kouji didn't want that to happen. His only option led him to run opposite the nearing sirens. He fled as quickly as his legs could carry him. The lampposts were his only source of light that guided him down the street, not knowing where he could end up.

"This is what I get for trying to help the old man. This is ridiculous!" he said under his breath as he kept moving and blinking quite a few times as drops of water landed on his eyelids.

Miraculously, the rain had slowed down and he didn't feel as cold as he had been earlier. Before, he was drenched in blood, now he was soaked in water. With each step he made, water splashed after it leaving a small ripple behind. He had to move fast. He ran; ran to wherever the road would take him. It was like for eternity that he left the Chief's house behind that he no longer felt acquainted with the street. He didn't even recognize anything at all. The houses turned into tire workshops, raggedy stores, and tall apartment buildings with alleyways in between them. This must have been the bad part of town because none of the buildings looked formal.

He slowed down to regain his breath six feet away from the curb. He looked up at the sky, its beauty had been restored as well as the twinkling gems.

"Excuse me, you got any light with you young man?" A middle-aged man, who wore filthy clothes, worn out finger less hand gloves, black beanie on his head, boots with a hole in the sole, and a brown coat, questioned him pointing to the cigar he had just placed on his mouth.

Kouji shook his head. "Sorry, I don't smoke. I don't plan to die early."

"Well aren't you such a polite kid," the other man spat back then literally spat on the ground in front of Kouji's shoes.

"Don't be walking around in these streets at night. You don't know whom you'll run into. This is a dangerous place I'm telling ya."

"Yeah? Well I'm big enough to take care of myself. I don't need your advice."

The man snickered as he pocketed his last cigarette. He held on to coat collar tightly, buried his neck from the cold, and walked away from Kouji, snickering. Kouji hesitated for a minute before making a quick decision.

"Hey, wait a minute!" he called out after the man. He stopped and spun around.

"What do you want lad?" he snapped quickly.

"I have a question."

"Let's see if I have an answer, if I don't your wasting my time and I don't like time wasters," answered the other man smugly.

Kouji thought twice. Maybe it was a mistake to ask the guy a question. He looked uncooperative, especially after Kouji talked to him sarcastically.

"I'm wondering if you know how long it takes to get from here to East Sendai."

"That depends on what mode of transportation you take. By cab or bus it'll probably take you around forty-five minutes or so. Take the station and you'll be there in less than half an hour."

"Thanks a lot."

"I'm not a city guide you know. But I know a lot of places in town and out of town. I'm a walking map."

"Right, keep yourself warm," replied Kouji as the man slowly disappeared from his sight.

He kept hearing sirens and decided to leave as well. Just when he took his first step, a pair of headlight came his way and flashed its high beam as he shielded both his eyes and face from the blinding light with his arm. He figured it was a patrol car as the cops inside blasted the siren. With no time to lose, he crossed the street, the cops in hot pursuit behind him and ran full speed ahead nearing a dead end.

The siren sounded close. He had to think fast. He looked around and determined he was in between two apartment buildings. Each side of the building held a fire escape, underneath the one on his right had a dumpster, to the left of him didn't have anything to boost him up, just a broken pipe that probably wouldn't hold his weight.

He made a prompt decision, running over and jumping atop the dumpster. Kouji yanked the ladder so hard it fell with a pound. As soon as he finished climbing it, the cops arrived and one had already gotten on top of the dumpster too. He kept running up the flight of stairs that zigzagged crazily as he tried to catch his breath quickly in between the fire escape.

"You know you can't outrun us! Everyone is looking for you all over town!" the cop yelled from the bottom as he climbed the stairs tirelessly. Kouji ignored the warning and kept running to the top. _I have no time for this._

He finally reached the last flight of the stairway not a moment too soon. He couldn't stop there; he had to keep running. He wasn't going to sell his life dearly to the cops that were after him. No way, not ever. The only thing for him left to do was to get above the roof and maybe he'll find something useful there.

It was imperative that he gets on the roof, he'll be captured if doesn't do it and he had to accomplish what the Chief had told him: To go to Ohta's Club in East Sendai.

Kouji jumped, his arms extended in the air hoping to reach the edge of the roof. It was no use; he was three feet short. Then a brilliant idea emerged from his brilliant mind. He looked up and saw part of his answer. There was an insulated power line attached to the building within his reach. Directly in front of him stood a railing. He was going to put two and two together and come up with a solution.

He gripped the power line tightly and placed his foot on the railing. He held on securely because a drop from a four-story building would be a fatal death, he propped himself up, careful not to slip and reached for the edge of the building. He successfully grasped it with one hand, then let go of the power line and had his other hand grab it as well.

"You think you are smart trying to hide up there in the roof!" the cop yelled, still after Kouji. "I think that would be the stupidest thing you have ever done!"

With all his might, he pulled himself up and made it on the roof. Now what was he going to do?

His legs carried him over to the other side of the roof. He looked down and found what he was looking for. He waited for the cop to catch up with his little game before he initiated his plan. When he saw the head of the cop emerged above the edge of the building; Kouji took some steps away from the other edge and planted his feet firmly. This probably was the very first time he got a good look of his pursuer. He stood about five-foot nine heavily built with broad shoulders, he had a mustache as well as a beard, atop his head grew short brown hair, and his brown orbs glared long and hard at his suspect.

"Now I've got you!" spoke the cop victoriously and tiredly.

Kouji scoffed and smiled. "No. I think I've got you."

"You got to be kidding me. You can't go anywhere. The only place you'll end up is in jail."

"I didn't kill anyone."

"Save your breath for the judge."

"All right then, I will. But first you'll have to catch me if you want to take me to him!" he teased.

The cop ran towards him, Kouji turned around, dashed towards the edge of the building and cleared the seven-foot gap to the next roof. He safely landed on the other roof and kept running. The chase had taken a one-eighty from the ground way up in the roof. The cop was still hot in pursuit. Both crossed the new rooftop as the raced one another.

Kouji did the same exact thing as he built greater momentum leaping, but this time clearing an eight-foot gap. The next roof turned into five-footer, the fourth one into another eight-foot gap. He looked back as his hands clutched on the last edge of the roof. The cop had slowed down, this bought him time to hoist himself up. Without further ado, Kouji pulled fought gravity and propped himself up strenuously but successfully. Meanwhile, the cop was left on the other roof. Kouji saw him panting and shook his head. Kouji could only smile as he ingeniously outran the cop.

Another fire escape caught Kouji's sight as he glanced from the edge of the roof and it was time for him to ditch the place. He quickly made his way down trying to avoid any loud effects he made but unfortunately it couldn't be avoided. He reached the last step of the ladder, released his grip, and landed on the ground in a crouch. Siren or no siren, he won't be climbing another roof, one adventure was enough for one night.

But that wasn't his only problem. He would have to look for a place to crash for the night. He figured, if the cops were already after him tonight, then most certainly they'll be waiting at his apartment. He wasn't about to risk being caught trying to sneak there and get some necessities. He needed to stay out of the cop's sight until the coast is clear. He was going to rent a cheap hotel for the night, and tomorrow, he'll go over East Sendai to look for Ohta's Club and find answers to questions he had.

Kouji felt around his pocket revealing the key that was given to him, and gazed at it with disappointment. "I don't know what your role is in all of this, but you've already given me trouble right when I got you." He fell silent for a moment as he tried to absorb the major events this night brought him before walking out into the scarred night. "Whatever this is, I'm going to survive it," he spoke softly.

Stay tuned…


	4. The Beginning of the End

Disclaimer: Didn't I just say this on the last chapter? Digimon has a rightful owner and it's not me.

Author's Note: I love getting reviews from my readers so keep them coming. What's an author with out their reviewers right? Anyway, here is chapter four since all of you have been such good people to me. I hope everyone's enjoying this as I have enjoyed writing it. Let's cut the chitchat and read away!

**Trapped in the Core**

By: Lady Lara Croft

**[4] The Beginning of the End**

**. . . .**

_[October 27, 2013]_

Western-Otaka Hotel

Sunday 7:15 AM

The maddening alarm clock disturbed Kouji's sleeping state and thus awoke in an ill-tempered manner. Moving over to the right side of the bed, he peered at the clock opening one eye as he muttered, "Stupid clock" hoping to retrieve some more shuteye.

_Seven fifteen,_ he imprinted on his mind as he gradually rolled out of bed and sat up, his feet touched the cold floor, and it felt as if he had accidentally stepped on ice in the Arctic. Nevertheless, he removed the feeling of the coldness of the floor while he examined the dingy room he stayed in.

The area possessed no attractive color nor did it have any good-quality furniture in the little room Kouji rented the night before.

The wallpaper, decorated with brown and white stripes, had been peeled since the last time it was refurnished which was probably along time ago since the manager never really cared for the place. The blinds looked rather a bit dusty and were in a pretty bad shape. The AC and heater panel looked banged up as well, no wonder Kouji was unable to turn on the heat at a time like this where the weather had been so cold since last night.

Despite the fact he picked a distasteful hotel to crash for one night, he was thankful enough to have obtained a roof over his head as memories from the bitter night sluggishly made its way back to him. He fought hard to block the resentful event that occurred last night.

He instead thought about what he should do today in case the police went looking for him, or how he would outrun them again as he luckily accomplished his escape the preceding night.

"The chase barely begun and already they want me dead this moment. Why did it have to be me?" He paused. "I'm already jobless, I'm friendless, and now I'm accused of something I did not commit. If there's one thing I'd like to do, I'd like to finish up this foolish game," he muttered as he walked over to the bathroom sink and turned on the water to wash his face.

The water felt cold as ice that he eventually turned on the knob of the hot water but the temperature failed to alter to his satisfaction. He had enough of the sink and risked not trouble to tire himself to get it warm.

He finished his business in the bathroom and picked up the clothes he had worn last night that lay steadily at the edge of the bed. He looked at the stained white shirt on his hand, thought twice before wearing it again, pulled on his trousers over his legs, and topped everything off with his leather jacket. _It'll have to do for now. Maybe I can stop by an outlet and pick up a shirt,_ he pondered.

Assured he had done all he could to prepare himself in the morning and checked twice that he left nothing behind, he turned off the light and closed the door behind him. He quickly made his way to the manager's office down at the front entrance, returned the access card while leaving a bit of tip, left the building and hurriedly caught the bus not too far from Western-Otaka Hotel.

The time cycled to eight o'clock the next opportunity he had as Kouji peeked on his watch. It won't be long now until the bus came to a nearby town with numerous outlets on each sidewalk. He played around with the silver key he found inside his back pocket, frowning.

_"…fits something…East Sendai. …look for a man… Takeda. It's important." _Bits and pieces of the Chief's final words lingered on his exhausted mind as he tried to figure out if this man, Takeda, had any fine information linked to the Chief's death and the mysterious caller.

Kouji realized the bus abruptly stopped and this was his cue to get off.

He secured the silver key inside his pocket once again as he stepped out of the bus. He felt anxious for a moment to see if anyone who walked past him would recognize his face from the incident last night. _No one seemed to have any knowledge of it just yet,_ he thought, and casually ventured into one of the outlet stores.

He was very quick about his shopping for a new shirt and now it was time for him to hunt down Takeda, hopefully with a mouthful of answers, if not, he'd work him out real hard in order to attain vital information.

Kouji remembered the man's advice about which kind of transportation should best suit him if he wanted to reach East Sendai fast. The train station seemed a bit far off so that left him to either ride a cab or hop on to another bus. _I guess it won't matter anyway since all three modes would lead to East Sendai, s'long as I get there I'm fine._

He hailed a cab effortlessly and was only an hour or so less away from East Sendai.

He directed the driver to drop him off at Ohta's Club and while at service to him, he would like to hear the news on radio if possible.

Nothing interested him as he listened attentively attempting to catch something that involved him. Fortunately, only a brief report about the Chief's death came on, nothing much about the killer – which directed to Kouji for the mean time – and thankful enough that the descriptions weren't out yet.

I wonder what happened to that cop that was after me. Surely he would've spilled everything last night back to headquarters about me. I wonder what's become of him, he thought to himself.

"Rough night you had?" the cab driver interrupted his thoughts as he looked up on his rearview mirror, trying to make eye contact with his weary passenger.

Kouji caught his eyes, nodded in return accompanied by a relaxed answer. "Yeah. I did a lot of running last night, it was damn right tiring."

"That sounds fun. You…run a lot?" he replied with a bit of inquisitive tone in his voice.

Kouji looked at his temporary companion on the rear view mirror before he answered. He had bushy eyebrows, brown eyes with glasses over them, his face engulfed by his stubby beard, and he wore a hat with black hair peeking through. "I run to keep myself in good health and shape, nothing more."

The man chuckled. "I used to do a lot of running back in the days. My dream was to become an Olympic athlete, but look what fate brought me. Here I am driving stubborn passengers all over town. I would've slapped fate right back on its face but I figured, it aint broke don't fix it. The cab business kept my family alive and I'm thankful for that."

"I see. Wish I could say the same thing."

"What's wrong with you?"

"You wouldn't be interested in it. As of right now, I'm hunting down fate to give me back my normal life," spoke Kouji as he stared out the window with a serious look on his face. He fell silent for one moment before he continued his conversation. "I used to think everything was how it was supposed to be, but I was dead wrong. My life sort of act like a maze, you don't know whether you're heading to a dead end or you'll find the right way through and come out victorious. I find a lot of bumps along the way, I don't like it."

"I agree with you on that one. I don't like bumps on the way. It ruins the tire and that means sooner or later I'll have to have a tire change."

Kouji chuckled a little. "That's not what I meant but whatever."

"By the way, I'm Hideki, you do happen to have a name correct?" he introduced himself peeking behind him.

He blinked a few times. "Of course I do. But if I told you, you mustn't tell anyone."

"Oh, I see. Are you some kind of top secret agent or something?"

"Nah. Nothing like that. That would just make my life as complicated as it already is."

"All right then, how about I just call you Lou." His words were a statement, not a question of some sort.

Kouji thought for some second. _You've got to be kidding me. He's giving me a name? Is this what he does to his passengers?_ He sighed._ But then again, if it will help keep my identity safe then I guess it's all right._

"All right it's settled then. My name's Lou." Kouji agreed to Hideki's will albeit not the best choice he ever performed.

"That was quite fast…anyway, Lou happened to be my brother's name. But it's all right that you take it since he's in jail. I name all my nameless passengers Lou, it's better than nothing right?" Hideki questioned him smiling a little. He looked like such a nice person to converse with and looked like a respectable man himself.

"I suppose that's okay," Kouji answered. _He's either stupid or just amusing me. Oh and look, his brother happened to be in jail, isn't that wonderful? How ironic is this!_

"Hey, don't be bummed out. I'll return Lou's name back to him when he's released. I'm sure he wouldn't have minded that some of my passengers 'borrowed' his name."

"Thanks, I feel a lot better," he replied sarcastically lying. Hideki smiled and none of them talked for the rest of the trip – except when Hideki couldn't take the infuriating silence and broke it by his own will. Kouji leaned his head back and rested his eyes while Hideki talked the whole way. He filled the cab with his own voice about his family, work, half of his childhood life, his favorite past times, and about the death of his precious grandmother. He said he blamed himself because it was his fault he left the house, forgot to turn off the gas range and his grandmother, who was nearly blind, lit a cigarette while in the kitchen and suddenly an explosive ending of her life.

Some time later, he woke up to Hideki's voice saying they arrived five minutes ago on their destination. He paid the fare with a little tip, bid him farewell and stepped out of the cab. Hideki waved him good-bye before speeding off.

**. . . .**

10:03 AM

He stood on the sidewalk as his gaze followed the height of the building in front of him, yawning. He couldn't remember if he slept such a long time while in the cab as the cab driver mumbled endlessly about whatever pleased him.

Directly in his sight stood a red awning and above it the label Ohta's Club inscribed in red neon lights occupied the whole top of the awning, but the lights slept silently since it was only ten in the morning.

However, this did not keep Kouji from entering the place. He opened the door, casually walked in and sure enough, the dim-lighted place hadn't had any visitors, only a bartender setting up the club and his associate sweeping the floor. The place looked bleak and uneventful. Only the hiss of the generator roared in the atmosphere and the clinking of wine bottles.

He amused himself for some time looking around before he heard someone addressed him.

"Can I get you anything?" the bartender questioned him as he gazed up to the new comer then returned his gaze to his work.

Kouji replied, "As a matter of fact I'm looking for someone," a tone of seriousness collided with the words spoken.

The bartender halted, wiped his hands and leaned on the bar. He looked quite young, around the age of twenty or so. He had on a white tee shirt, and black trousers. His hair matched his trousers and his brown eyes glared at the ex-cop, but he didn't know that.

"Names don't mean anything in this club, unless you are in authorization to seize this place."

"I'm not a cop but I bet you I can make you talk." _Well, I **was **a cop anyways._ Kouji spoke again. "I won't make this as complicated as it should be, so I suggest you cooperate willingly."

"And if I don't?" the bartender questioned with a smirk on his face.

"What's your name?" snapped Kouji. "I usually don't force people to get something out of them. Should that come as a requirement, you'd realize I was serious in the first place."

"Micki," replied the bartender. "I don't like your attitude."

Kouji's piercing dark blue eyes narrowed and with a swift movement he grabbed the bartender's collar and held him close to his face.

He breathed down on Micki's neck, he didn't like this himself but he had no choice but to do it. "Listen to me Micki. If you don't, you may or may not wake up in a hospital bed the next morning if you displease me right this moment. I killed someone and I can kill you if I want to."

A threat was what he gave him as he tightened his grip and nothing more. Kouji felt the urge to finish this cock-and-bullshit right then and there before it went too far. Here's a man who's trying to get his life together after he fell unconscious the night before and when he woke up his life had turned upside down. Crossing him didn't look like a good idea and surely Kouji wasn't going to let this pass.

The other person sweeping the floor stopped and felt paranoid for one bit. He held onto the broom he possessed, gripped it tightly and attended his attention over to the twosome.

"Fine. I'll talk, just don't kill me. I'm proposing to my girlfriend tonight!" he said frantically, his hands clawing on Kouji's.

"Good, then. Let's be friends Micki," he said and released the bartender from his grip and his threat. He relaxed. "I need to talk to a man whose name is Takeda. I need something from him. Does his name mean anything here?" his eyebrow arched, a look on his face suggested he's not someone to be tampered with.

"Yes, of course. He runs this place. Mr. Takeda doesn't come until the afternoon or later on tonight. He comes when it pleases him to do so. I don't know where he lives or how you can contact him. You'll have to come back later."

"That's fine with me," he answered him awfully quite fast. Then he heard the question, "You won't kill me now, right?"

"I was just bluffing. But I'm not bluffing when I said I was looking for Takeda. When he arrives, tell him Kouji, with a very important business, would like to speak with him. Someone who needs to sort some nasty things out, do you understand?"

"I clearly understand."

"Thank you for your willingness. Enjoy the rest of your day gentlemen," he said as he left the bartender and gave the other man a single nod.

He was tired of wasting time but he had no option _but_ to kill some time off while the afternoon arrived, better yet until the night arrived. And he was also tired of people who wasted his time.

Instead of lingering downtown, he bought a movie ticket and decided to sleep there and get something to eat when he wakes up. He didn't know why, but sleeping often came to him and that seemed to be the best thing to do for now. Or maybe it was because he tried to forget the bloody event last night and figured sleeping would help.

He slept for a couple of hours as the movie ran through twice. How he stayed there unseen by the ushers who cleaned the place became a mystery that need not be solved. He checked out his watch - 3:00 PM. Almost there until he could find some answers, hopefully.

He walked out of the movie theater; looked around a place he could fill up his hungry stomach and in defeat started walking to wherever his feet would take him. It was only a few steps when he heard loud yelling from behind.

"Noodles! Noodles! Get your warm and delicious noodles!"

A noodle cart arrived to his rescue just in time to satisfy Kouji's hunger. He rapidly spun and waved a hand over to the noodle cart carrier.

"Hey there! I see you heard my loud advertising, great isn't? By the way, the name's Daisuke and at your service!" he said, presenting himself.

"Ok, Daisuke is it? What do you have on your menu?"

A very big smile formed on Daisuke's face. "Why, today I serve the House Special! It's one of the best in town. I want you to try it!" He exclaimed preparing himself with his utensils and other whatnots needed for cooking.

"House Special?"

"Heh, heh, my bad! I meant to say Cart Special but who cares!"

"Ok, ok, calm down. I was just asking," Kouji said, a bit surprised with the cook.

"So what would it be? A small, medium or large bowl?" Daisuke questioned already setting up the noodles and other ingredients onto the fire.

"Uh, well, I skipped breakfast and lunch so-"

"That means you're really very hungry and you have a lot of room in your tummy to shove a large order of noodles! No problem! I've got the best noodles you've ever tasted in this town! I traveled in West Sendai, North, South, Tokyo, Odaiba, you name it and I've been there. Of course I have a van to load all this junk into."

_He must take a lot of pride in his business. I've never seen anyone so enthusiastic about a noodle cart business before,_ it echoed in Kouji's head.

Kouji wafted the smell of Daisuke's cooking and as it entered his nostrils, it only made him hungrier than ever. Within minutes of waiting, it was finally done. Boy was he hungry like a wolf!

"Ta da!" Daisuke presented his fully cooked noodle Cart Special. "I hope you enjoy my noodles! It was cooked with all ingredients and a secret ingredient, but of course I can't tell you that. That's why it's called secret ingredient! Ha, ha, ha!" he laughed and winked, proud of his another successful cooking of noodle.

"All right, I trust you on that one," the black haired boy said.

Kouji had already taken a bite from the bowl and surprisingly enough, not only did the bowl give the impression of being so appetizing; it was so good he almost choked! Daisuke advised him to slow down and offered him a drink. Kouji washed down the noodles with water, at the same time quenched his thirst. He finished his food and paid Daisuke.

"Thanks a lot. The noodles sure made me full."

"Hey, no problem! I was meant to feed people with noodles! I gotta run now, I have other people to rescue."

With that said the owner of the noodle cart sped away calling out 'Noodles!' to the whole world. At first Kouji thought Daisuke was a bit weird but he looked all right, the noodles were great anyway, it rewarded him greatly. He commented how delicious it tasted and hoped someday he'll buy another.

**. . . .**

Nightfall…

10:03 PM

He returned to the club as instructed by the bartender. The neon lights have been turned on as it blazed immensely atop the awning. He witnessed a line of people waiting to get in; it must have been such a popular club, after all, if everyone waited outside, especially on such a cold weather.

Two burly men guarded the entrance.

Not minding the line, he approached the door only to be stopped by the two men who wore black suits. A hand held out in front of him blocking his entrance.

"You can't go in. Back in the line," hissed the man on the left, his voice powerful, strong, and commanding.

Kouji put down the man's hand, disregarded the warning given to him and answered, "I have business to settle with Takeda, if you don't mind. Let me through."

Through the other side of the glassed entrance, Micki, the bartender, made his way outside. He barred tensions between Kouji and the two men before chaos broke between them with a mental note that if that occur, Takeda would surely kick him out for irresponsibility.

"It's all right, he's authorized to go inside. Mr. Takeda is expecting him and he's his special guest for tonight."

Kouji glanced at the two fellows as he passed them, following the bartender.

The inside of the club boomed with loud music that suggested the place became a refuge to those who had nothing else to do or who just wanted to have a great time. The lights illuminated from all over the place, making it colorful and dim at the same time.

He observed some pole dancers here and there sliding their body against the pole. Men drooled over the almost-naked women on the stage.

Around the place, men and women drank together, laughed together, and made stupid remarks against each other. The place was packed that he had a hard time squeezing through the heated and sweated bodies all around him. He wondered if Ohta's Club was like this every single night. Takeda's probably such a rich fool if he was to answer his thought.

The bartender led Kouji to a room upstairs, secluded to the public in a secret door and watched the Micki rapped on the door several times as if he had to knock correctly in a secret code.

"C'mon in." The voice said from the other side of the room.

The bartender left and Kouji took the effort to open the door. He came inside, closed the door behind him and witnessed a man sitting on a chair behind a desk. He looked like one of those Mafia boss, only skinnier and smaller.

"You want something from me?" the man asked. "I want to make this as quickly as I can. I'm busy."

"I assume you're Takeda."

"Mr. Takeda to you," he corrected. "I run and own this place. You should enjoy yourself downstairs, not up here."

"Right then, _Mr._ Takeda. Let's get this over with."

"Take a seat if you want. Do you smoke?" he said offering Kouji a buttless cigar. He shook his head as he took the silver key from his pocket. Takeda drew back the cigar he offered, put it aside in a packet and smoked his own. He let out a few puffs waiting for Kouji to speak. His office didn't consist much. His desk had three telephones, some paper, a Rolodex, some fancy pens, and a tiny calendar.

Around his office, three filing cabinets were set side by side on one part of the wall. Opposite that were a few camera screens that monitored the activities downstairs along with several control panel. Nothing more added to the scenery but some other junk.

"I believe you have something for me," spoke Kouji directly staring at Takeda's eyes not even blinking.

He puffed a few smokes. "What is it?"

"2794011. Sound familiar?" he questioned raising a brow. He waited for any reaction from Takeda but he didn't budge. Maybe he had memorized the numbers wrong, or maybe it didn't mean anything to the man. But what he recited was correct. He knew the number by heart.

Takeda smashed the tip of his cigar on the ashtray and stood up.

He stared at Kouji long and hard. "You're either authentic or fake. Which is it?"

"That's up to you. It's your call."

Takeda sighed; no one would dare play around with that little code. It held something that could only be revealed to someone worthy of attaining the hidden information from the correct source and whatever other secrets held behind those numbers. But just to make sure that it _was_ an authentic code, he interrogated Kouji of its origin.

"Richard Ishinabe, the Chief Superintendent if you hadn't any knowledge."

"Follow me," he answered. That was all he needed to hear and nothing more.

Kouji waited for Takeda to leave first.

They left the room discreetly, turned left into a poor-lighted hallway and Kouji followed the man, his wits alert of anything that might happen at any time for any reason or no reason at all.

The walls consisted of peeling green paint. Pipes ran parallel to the ceiling and clattered ever so often. The ceiling too wasn't in a good shape. The circular bulbs flickered as the shadows of the two men trailed behind them. How ironic to walk in a poor-managed area upstairs when the room out of this horrid place consisted of pleasure, leisure, laughter, and money.

Upon walking for what seemed to be an eternity, Takeda led Kouji to a steel staircase that led to a bottom area.

The soles of their shoes collided with the metal stairs emitting echoes at the bottom of the stairs. After several flights of stairs, Kouji felt relieved to have reached the bottom. He never knew that a club owned by Takeda had hidden places, even if they were unsightly.

He made out a door, right at the bottom of the stairs. Takeda unlocked it, twisted the knob, turned on the lights and ventured inside. He motioned for Kouji to walk in and saw several lockers plastered to the wall. Now, which locker contained the hidden information Kouji longed to grasp his hands on? And which locker would greatly accept the silver key he held?

"Now it's your call," Takeda spoke, taking out another cigar and circumcising it before lighting the brown tip.

Kouji sighed. "Can't you tell me which one belonged to the Chief?"

"You want to find it, you look for it." Another motion. Another puff. Another death to his lung.

Kouji stopped himself from being angry and enacted what he had to. He tried on the silver key on each one of the lockers hoping it would fit one so he could get out of the tiring place. Locker after locker he was defeated with a sigh and a wave of frustration. The key seemed to despise most of the keyholes. What if the Chief had given him the wrong key? He was old anyway so the possibility of if was likely to occur.

Then, with his utmost curiosity he heard a click.

A click.

It fit!

The key, which was given to him the night of the murder, the very key that escorted him trouble right when it landed on his hands, the very key that could solve the murder crime fit on the last locker. In his mind he jumped for joy as one part of the deal was done.

He opened the locker but it was Takeda who came forward and took out the content. It was a brown box with a bronze clasp on the edge.

"This is Richard's all right," Takeda said, examining the object on his hand.

Kouji gestured for the box. "May I?" Without hesitation from Takeda, he received it, unclasped the latch and picked out an old-looking book. For all the trouble he went through, he provided a book? This must have been such a practical joke! Who in their right mind would give someone a book?

"I know what you are thinking," Takeda replied. Another puff of smoke escaped the crevice of his lips. "You think your Chief played around with you, am I not mistaken?"

Kouji didn't answer. What does Takeda know about anything? If he knew something all along, how much does _he_ know that Kouji wasn't aware of?

"That, is not a book. That," he said, pointing it to the thing, "is Richard's diary." He paused for a minute – "Dated back all the way from the late 1970's. It was his most treasured secret and he entrusted me with it if anything should happen to him."

Kouji picked up and paged through the leaves of the 'book'. Mistaken – yes indeed – for he held a diary, not a book. Dates and entries were written on the pages, although somewhat faded, he took such an effort in order to make out certain dates that he mentally told himself he would go back to it later and read it with all his attention.

"So why is this so important?"

"Not only did it contain half of Richard's life, it contained a secret of some sort. I don't exactly know what it is, but what I know is, it's for you."

"When was the last time you spoke to him?" questioned Kouiji, looking up from the diary he held. He had a curious look in his face, somewhat like a little kid's face that just woke up and found out his mommy left early for work.

Takeda cleared his throat. "I would say about two weeks ago a-and yesterday, early in the afternoon. He said a man had been stalking him the week before. I laughed at that comment. I mean how could it be that a Chief like him would all so suddenly be scared of a mere stalker? I thought it quite peculiar."

"Did he tell you about the man's appearances?"

He shook his head methodically, his lips curling on the side. "No, he mentioned no such thing. The day after that, he immediately came to me, informed me to keep his diary here because he held so much confidence in this place that the thought of anyone breaking in and discovering his hidden diary was not likely to occur. I've been a long time friend of his and I never saw him act so paranoid. I don't know what to think of him that day. He was stuttering like crazy. I told him to take some time off from work, take some medicine, and relax a bit."

The younger man pondered about Takeda's description of the Chief's behavior. It sounded so weird to him. "If I know the Chief, he doesn't frighten easily. This puzzles me a lot."

"I know," responded Takeda. "I shrugged it off though. I concluded he was only stressed out and he couldn't take it anymore. I had preparations to take him whaling, but he died before I could invite him. Such an unlikely thing to happen to him, I think."

He looked at the diary once more before speaking. He opened it to the first page – it was blank. Why?

"Tell me more. I must learn everything I could."

"I'm glad to do so."

Kouji nodded and listened intently to Takeda as he lectured the younger man.

"So, he specifically told me to hand this to someone who had the code and restricted anyone else who posed as a wanderer. He gave me strict orders. Let it fall to the wrong hands and heaven knows what could happen. I kept his word. The code served as a reassurance that whoever held the code, like you did, came authentically from Richard. Other than that, ignorance would've answered the wrong person. Everything seemed not to be in its rightful place. He left in rather a hurry after giving me instructions and he talked too low, almost in a whisper when right when he talked inches from my face. I didn't know what went on, really I didn't. And you know the rest about that key…

Yesterday, he called me and I think maybe in between three to four in the afternoon. He informed me that he contacted you and needed your help…something about a mysterious caller. I thought the old man's really lost it! Mind my saying of old, I know I'm considered as one. He said, 'You should expect someone with the name of Kouji Minamoto to come by your club. He will be picking up what I left there to finish a task' and I just agreed to whatever he said. He kept stumbling over his words! I sounded something must have terribly gone wrong. He continued telling me, 'Tell the boy to arrive at Detective Warren's place. I have given him more information. I'm sorry if I've got him running all over the place. I feel it's safer he keep moving rather than stay in one place.' I haven't met this Detective Warren so I'm afraid that's all what I can contribute," he finished with a big breath afterwards, followed by a massive inhalation of his cigar.

"That's more than what I asked for. I wonder if the Chief meant Detective Warren from his headquarters," Kouji pondered.

Takeda shrugged. What did he know about Sendai police? Absolutely nothing. He's an expert in clubs, not the law. "I hope he's the right one. Good luck with your search."

Kouji gave him a single nod and thanked him. He dismissed himself from Takeda's sight, backtracked his way to the lively part of the club, throwing the box that kept the diary in the garbage on his way there. He squeezed his way through as women pulled him on each side, wanting to dance with him, flirt with him, and seduce him. That was not his lifestyle and ignored the females who tried to get their hands on him. He felt relieved when he ended up outside and breathed in fresh air. The line no longer stood there but the two burly men still guarded the entrance.

He walked down the street alone as he had done everyday. He peeked at his watch, his other hand holding onto the diary, and thought it wouldn't hurt to ring up Detective Warren, even though it was somewhat late.

But, does the time 11:00 PM on a Sunday considered late given the fact Kouji needed answers to solve a case?

Besides, any time of the day, or maybe even at night, the Detective looked forward to his arrival. After all, he obtained something of value from the Chief. He kept walking for another fifteen minutes until he approached a payphone.

He dialed the Detective's number, vaguely from his memory and prayed that it was the right digits, until someone surprisingly answered the phone.

The voice sang a simple greeting of hello on the other line.

"Detective Warren," Kouji began, "This is Kouji. I believe you're expecting me?"

"Of course. What took you so long to call? Ah, never mind that. Can you come soon?" he heard the Detective spoke anxiously. Kouji nodded, realized it was impossible for the other man to see that he agreed and replied "Yes" on the telephone.

"Good. That is good. I shall have tea here when you ring the doorbell. We have a lot to discuss. Farewell."

It clicked and he heard the Detective no more.

**. . . .**

Complex Neighborhood

11:30 PM

Two men were sitting down in the dining room table drinking tea, half an hour before the clock strike midnight. The place looked somewhat similar to the Chief's dwelling, except this one had livelier appearance. Instead of a tall lamp light that illuminated the area, there, above on the ceiling hung a fluorescent light.

He sipped it slowly but casually, relieving his throat from the cold atmosphere. The tea felt warm inside his chest, and he too felt warm at the temporary living space he acquired for the night. He set the tea cup down right back on the saucer, the cup empty. He was offered another cup of tea but refused it politely. He felt fine after he had taken three cups already, he didn't need more than that. He was grateful of the simple roof above his head, and no more service should be given to him, except answers.

"Such a pity it had to be you Kouji. I found great confidence in you – you were such a committed cop."

"Such a pity," he echoed, almost in a whisper.

Detective J.D. Warren, the age of forty, is stationed at Sendai Headquarters. He is a man of tanned skin, light brown hair who probably weighs around two hundred pounds, green eyes, a mustache and a pair of frameless glasses is the person who is currently talking to Kouji.

He knew Kouji quite well because of his job, though he didn't quite understood what happened the night before. He firmly believed Kouji had no motive to eliminate the Chief because he seemed not the kind of person to initiate such actions. No, Kouji was a hard working cop who followed all orders in every assignment. He didn't "get back" to the people who were in bad terms with him. He kept calm and went on about his usual work.

Although, at the moment, he considered Kouji to be a suspect because the Chief informed him that the younger man would be visiting him in his condominium for terms of business and with that piece of information, Kouji is a suspect. He was at the scene of the crime.

Nevertheless, Detective J.D. Warren means business with Kouji as well. He has some information that may attract Kouji's attention.

"I know you are looking for some answers. I can't be wrong on that one," Warren presumed.

"You're right. I do want some answers. Can you give them to me?"

Warren sighed. "Not only do I have answers, I also have a task for you. That is, if you are interested."

"Should I take it?"

"I think you should. It'll help you a lot," replied Warren, small smile curling on the side of his lips.

Kouji smirked. Was this right? "_What _do you mean by that?" His questioned sounded light and almost innocent, but not too much. He sounded interested, despite the fact he had to ask Detective Warren.

The older man poured more tea in his cup. He sipped it for a while, staring into a white dead wall past Kouji. He knew Kouji would be not only for a surprise yet also a chance for him to retrieve his life.

"I ask you this: Do you want to clear your name?"

"What's this got to do with the Chief?"

"I asked a question and I expected an answer, not another interrogation."

He rolled his eyes. Another game was it?

"All right, let's do it your way, for now." He paused – "I want to clear my name as much as I want to get my life back together. Why? Are _you_ going to complete that for me?"

Warren placed his cup down, shook his head and said, "Of course not. That would be useless. If I had wanted to do so in the first place I wouldn't need you here, _and_ I wouldn't have spoken that I have a task for you."

"Cut the chitchat already. What have you got?" snapped Kouji, aiming for a more direct answer.

"I assume you posses the Chief's diary, correct?" questioned Warren.

Kouji nodded methodically. He pulled out the diary from his back pocket, placed it in sight of Warren and gestured for him to examine it. Warren did for a couple of minutes, set the diary back in front of Kouji and spoke, "This is good. All is according to plan just as he instructed."

Kouji couldn't help but questioned him. "The Chief is he?"

"Yes. And I do suppose you want a piece of my mind as well?"

"It wouldn't hurt now, would it? After all, I didn't come here at almost midnight for nothing."

Then there was silence, next, movement, and another silence.

Warren left the younger man for one minute and ventured inside a private room, off to the side of his bedroom. It was there where he kept important files from the headquarters and other confidential documents. There were three filing cabinets, three different colors – gray, black, and a faded brown.

He inserted a tiny key inside the keyhole of the black filing cabinet and pulled the cold handle. He searched through files and documents until his hand grasped a yellow packet envelope and grabbed a handful of paper above the filing cabinet.

He ventured back into the dining room where his companion awaited for his arrival. He tossed the packet atop the diary but kept the papers secured on his hand.

"All the information you'll need is in that packet. It's yours. Don't let anyone take it from you. The Chief mailed it to me inside another packet with instructions according to his will."

"Keep going."

"Kouji, I believe that you are innocent, but my saying does not provide all the evidence to clear your name. You must work for it if you want to walk around free again."

Kouji kept silent. Should he take this task offered by Warren?

"I'm not so sure about this task you want to appoint to me, but if I am to clear my name, I'll do anything."

Warren nodded, Kouji's agreement made him content.

"I personally want you to track down the Chief's real killer - "

Kouji interrupted him before he could further speak. "How do you expect me to do that when the cops are after me? I'm lucky enough I didn't see any of them today and made it here without a scratch. I have no access to my apartment, mind you."

Warren shook his head. Why must he interrupt him when he had something important to discuss with him?

"If you let me explain I think you'll find it within your convenience that you will have access to your apartment. I'm on your side Kouji."

"You've got three minutes to entertain me."

"Three minutes is all I need."

Warren handed the papers to Kouji to examine the content. Kouji looked at each one and paid attention to it closely.

The detective began speaking before his time expired.

"First, I'll inform you that I will expunge your record at Sendai Headquarters and any other police records that are linked to ours and have any access. I won't do it permanently, but rather store all vital information in my personal backup system in my office. I know what I'm doing is quite dangerous and unlawful, but my orders came directly from the Chief and an order _is_ an order."

"And these papers you handed me…" he said waving it in front of Warren's face. "Do I need them?" His response was a nod.

"The murder was unfortunate indeed; however, that can be fixed. He knew that his time of death neared him. He's been talking to me about the stalker he had, when he called Takeda, when he informed me about you, and yesterday, when he confessed to me that someone was after him. I wanted to rescue him but he specifically told me to stay out of harm's way. But _you_ should not."

Appalled by what he heard, he gave Warren a horrid look. "Why should I be in the way?"

"He wanted to make up for taking you out of the force."

"Ugh. Such shame he brought to himself." Kouji muttered under his breath, "Tis better that I never went there when he died. I brought this whole misfortune to myself."

"I also have another proposal for you."

"What is it this time?"

"Have you heard of the Red Viper?" Warren's tone became serious and a bit cold..

Kouji shook his head.

By this time, Detective Warren had stood up, pacing the room back and forth giving Kouji a headache. He halted with his back turned on his companion, his hands clasped behind him.

"The Red Viper, is the worst crime lord that ever existed, however, he is stunningly intelligent. We've been tracking him down for the past several years but he managed to elude us every time. He stole numerous amounts of money, antiques, and jewelries; smuggled imported cars and drugs into this country and armaments and he is wanted in fifteen different countries. Every time we are set to catch him, he's already retreated to his new hiding place," said Warren disappointedly.

"That means your squad needs more training," insulted Kouji.

"Thanks for your concern," Warren shot back. He turned around and walked back to where he sat earlier.

"Dare I say this but I did not pick you for this job. Richard wanted you to go undercover within the Viper's lair."

He raised a brow. "Oh?"

"Yes," replied Warren firmly. "Only a few selected men knew of this preparation and those men are to remain anonymous."

"Tell me what I have to do."

"We'll provide you a new identity, as well as wiring you some cash money for your pocket, a new house, vehicle – whatever type you prefer, and anything else you might need."

Kouji replied as he tapped the papers in front of him, "A real dossier would work better than these scraps."

"That's only a copy of some of our documented files. In addition to that, I'll be honest with you that you will have to remain within the Red Viper's reach for at least two years in order to closely approach him. We've sent men who went undercover but only lasted months. Why? Because they did not have the qualified skills to enter the Viper's league. Join the Viper, and hopefully you'll get within him as close as you possibly can."

"So you want me to live under the Viper's skin for two years?" questioned Kouji. "Not bad, not bad at all."

"Within those two years, we'll supply you additional information, and likewise you are to report whatever facts you come across, understood?"

"Easier said than done." Kouji returned his gaze to the papers he held.

The first paper contained a shot of three people who seemed to be in a cocktail party. The first person on the right indicated he was of importance since he wore such a nice fitting tuxedo; Kouji guessed he was around the age of thirty. The second person in the middle looked younger, probably around the age of twenty-eight, and he, too, wore a tuxedo. The last person, a woman, was the youngest, she was probably at the age of twenty-five, she wore a very elegant black dress that almost revealed her chest. On the bottom of the paper appeared such names: Tanaka Tokugawa, Shinjiro Tokugawa, and Azumi Tokugawa.

_They're all related. So what?_ He thought.

After the names, the only article written was: The Tokugawa siblings celebrate after their successful trip in France while purchasing a very expensive flat that belonged to King Louis XIV in Versailles.

_That's very interesting._

"Who are these people?"

"You'll find out once you start your mission. I bid you good luck. And do not lose those documents in the packet. It'll save your life, the least you expect it," Warren replied.

Dangerous or not, nothing can stop Kouji now. He's got a new goal to fulfill. Track down the killer and join the Red Viper's league.

Kouji must not fail in this assignment, who knows what cruel deeds the Red Viper might concoct next. But, _what_ exactly does the Viper have in mind?

"Warren," addressed Kouji. "What exactly does the Viper plan? Have you any knowledge?"

"No. We don't know what he's up to, but I'm guessing it's something bad. That man's capable of anything he had knowledge of, I tell ya. He's an expert in almost anything."

"Almost anything, huh," repeated Kouji. He looked at Warren and gave him a sly smile. "You have to do better than that."

**Till next time…**

**. . . .**

AN: Keep a good look out for chapter five. All characters are a go starting on the next chapter! I know you've been wondering if I'll be putting Takuya, Zoe, JP, and Tommy in this fic, and Kouichi. Of course!


	5. Step One

Disclaimer: And again I shall keep doing this in order to maintain my free and wonderful life. I can't say Digimon and its characters are mine. Thank you very much!

Author's Note: Wow! A lot of reviews! That's awesome, I have to say. All right keep 'em coming! Now, kick back, relax and enjoy chapter 5!

**Trapped in the Core**

By: Lady Lara Croft

**- 5 - Step One**

**- - - - -**

'_Months ago I walked as a normal person who had a decent job, much like everyone else. Now, however, here I am someone who accepted a new task in order to walk free once again in the face of the earth. I ask myself, _'Exactly what have I gotten myself into?'_ I don't even know if what I'm doing is the best possible solution to get my life back. I don't think anyone could persuade me out of this. I've agreed to something completely foreign to me. Yeah, that's right. I've never done anything like this before. But let's face it; I lost mostly everything – my life, best friend, work, boss, and even my very own identity. Should anyone come to my rescue, I doubt the fact that they could fathom the situation I am in. It's time someone cleans up this mess and well, who else should do it but me, right? I can't even tell myself where this path of deceit and disguise will guide me. But one thing I do know is that I'll be doing this for a cause.' _

Kouji's thoughts ended abruptly while he stood in line waiting for the train that would direct him to his 'new life'. He felt no fear anymore. His determination to retrieve his life was at stake and he couldn't stop now that he accepted this new job offer.

He surveyed his surrounding extensively, examining people here and there. That lady over there who kept shifting her weight was a nurse, given the evidence that underneath the black coat she donned were scrubs. And over in that corner stood a man with crossed-arms, not minding that he had wrinkled his pressed navy blue business suit. Just behind him, a little girl in pink dress licked her chocolate-covered ice cream bar who had accidentally brushed some dripping on the man who wore the business suit, and was now being scolded by his unsightly voice. But oh, the mother had finally rescued her daughter, humbly apologized to the man, and walked away from the scene in order to discipline her child.

Kouji believed the little incident should not have given such big fuss over it. Kids will be kids, mindless of their behaviors. The best possible disciplinary actions should be talking to them privately with a nice tone of voice and not initially yelling at them in public. That kind of conduct insults them giving humiliation the chance to conquer children which leads to embarrassment then to regret and possibly rebellion.

The train headed for the Shibuya Station would not arrive for another twenty minutes which gave him quite some time to relish the last moments of his stay at Sendai before his departure. He reviewed the station for final thoughts as he approached an abandoned bench that cradled a day-old newspaper. Sitting down, he paged through each section hoping to find anything that would appeal to his blue eyes. He found nothing, tossed it to the nearby garbage can – cautious not to hit the passersby.

Leaning back on the bench, he stretched to his utmost flexibility – hands up and feet shooting downward – then swiftly retrieved his right foot over his left knee. He sat for a while just simply waiting for the train as people of different shape and color weaved through each other.

The moment he looked at his watch which glared 10:17 am, the train to Shibuya Station raucously rolled in. Kouji stepped forward as the door opened exactly in front of him, then strode inside without hesitation and sat down. He knew this ride could take a while; therefore, the best remedy for boredom was sleep. His destination from Sendai to Shibuya would take him approximately six hours giving him the chance to stay put and avoid any trouble that may come his way. The doors closed, he shut his eyes, and drifted to sleep. In six hours he would be introduced to Chief DeLantai and Detective Dewey of his assignment. Then, the real challenge would begin.

**- - - - -**

**2:59 PM**

With brute force accompanied with great motivation, he floored the gas pedal with a booted foot. The speedometer showed verification the vehicle raced ever so quickly. He maneuvered the vehicle fiercely – right, left, half circle, a full 360 degrees – as sirens blared atop their roof. Dusts clinched on the windshield with pieces of rocks flying, leaving small dents on the body of the vehicle. The surrounding area of the chase suggested it as desert-like scenery, tossed in a few uncommon materials.

As the driver swerved beyond several gallons of water-drums, his companion careened backwards on the left passenger seat protecting his head from any objects capable of puncturing his skull or knocking him down to unconsciousness.

He scolded the driver. "Hey! Watch it okay? Either I cannon ball out of the window or paint the inside of your police car red."

The other man laughed. "It wouldn't surprise me if one second I look over to where you are and the only thing left is your shadow. Don't tell me you're not having fun."

"Ha, ha. Very funny. Look out! You almost hit a cow!"

"Relax, relax. With much of my driving experience you're safer with me than my grandmother driving," the driver remarked.

The vehicle's speed crept higher with each passing second. The passenger beside the driver held on for his dear life.

"Takuya! You're going to kill me before we finish this assignment!"

The handsome-looking driver flashed him a casual smile as if the passenger accepted it as a sign of comfort, which he did not, unfortunately.

Senior Policeman (Junsacho) Takuya Kanbara, at the age of twenty-four, is Shibuya Head Quarter's leading expert in high-speed police chase. Having been on so many missions since he started several years ago, his great confidence helps his partner succeed in handling the dangerous situations, and his management of his own vehicle at such heart-pumping action strikes him as courageous and fierce.

His dark-brown hair whipping wildly in the wind along with his enthusiastic light-brown eyes are some appearances women in the force notice about him. Takuya, on the other hand, disregards such rendering which makes the women heave a sigh, and his medium-built appearance, nonetheless, still attracts other women but to their dismay, Takuya presents the same attitude.

Takuya patted his friend's shoulder. "Tommy, my buddy ol' pal, you trust me don't you? And I say – I'm going to run this baby down like nothing you've seen before and – oh! There they go!"

The vehicle swiftly and haphazardly pursued two brown, rusted, pick-up trucks, each cradled three men armed with numerous weapons. They veiled themselves with black and grey masks or pantyhose over their bulging head, bullet proof vests also visible to the eyes. The men fired a few rounds as Takuya negotiated with the road ahead trying to evade the raining bullets as successfully as he could, but to no avail it couldn't be avoided several bullets slapped itself on the hood with a _thunk_ and _tink_.

"Now I'm mad!" Takuya gritted through his teeth. "Tommy, what are you waiting for? Stick out your head and put a bullet or two on those tires!"

Tommy, at a young age of twenty-two gazed at his partner with gleaming green eyes and shifting dark-brown hair, provided a questioning expression. He was a bit shorter than Takuya, but his big heart made up for everything else.

He pulled out his gun, stuck his head out and aimed only to withdraw his head back inside and asked: "Do I really have to do this?"

Takuya nodded. "You want to pass, don't you? Don't be scared Tommy. Aim, shoot, and shoot some more! I haven't got all day."

After he gathered enough strength to pursue his duty, Tommy deliberately closed his eyes and hoped luck would do him a favor of eliminating one or two of the shooters. The hammer hit the chamber; as he had hoped, luck favored him. Two men, one from each pick-up, somersaulted off the rusted transportation they once held onto and laid steadily on the ground as Takuya zipped passed the bodies.

Tommy retreated, gun rested at the chest, sighing heavily. "I did it," he started off as a whisper which then grew to a loud triumphant and confident "I did it!" phrase.

Takuya simply smiled. "Looks like they want to play with us," he uttered proudly.

The two pick-ups drove side by side for a quick second as if the drivers conversed for a new tactic, then separated in each direction just as Takuya had guessed.

"I think they're going to pin us from each side," Tommy commented. Takuya shrugged and scoffed.

"We'll see about that" was his answer. Tommy's theory was more than correct. Each pick-up paralleled on the black and white vehicle on either side. Takuya glanced left and right as each truck drew closer, speed still sky-rocketing. With each passing seconds, the two trucks came closer to scraping the side of the black and white. "It's a good idea to shoot Tommy," Takuya urged.

Tommy fired a quick shot but missed as he ducked along with Takuya, as two bullets whizzed passed them from either side of the windows. It finally came when the trucks slammed harshly against the police car with an ear-splitting scraping sound of metal against metal.

Takuya grunted. "It's payback time." As the three vehicles simultaneously and crushingly continued rolling on its axles, a brilliant idea emerged from Takuya's imaginative brain. "Tommy, learn from the pro and brace yourself," he said smugly with a small smile tugging at the corner of his lip.

_Now what sort of great idea did he come up with this time? I had better do what he says,_ Tommy thought to himself.

The force he exerted on the break constructed a sudden, yet dangerous method of deceleration. The tires left long marks behind them, screeching, and hauling a large tail of dusts. As he had suspected, the drivers of the pick-ups were too slow to react to his strategic idea that they slammed on each other's side. He mentally patted himself on the back for a job well done.

Now, to catch the crooks and cuff them would be the finale. He reaccelerated once more. Not far from where they were, what looked like a building stood in the distance. Takuya kept going straight, making some turns catching up with the villains. A few minutes or so, the two pick-ups halted in front of the broken down building, Tommy suggested it was an old warehouse identified by rows of broken windows on the second level, torn down doors on several sides, and several versions of eighteen-wheelers.

The remaining four men abandoned the pick-up trucks and hastily dispersed inside the warehouse. Takuya and Tommy followed the men, weapons drawn. Takuya leaned against the side of the door, Tommy opposite him. Takuya peeked inside, checked for any sudden burst of ammunition but met with none. He signaled to Tommy the coast was clear and entered the warehouse cautiously.

Inside - storage crates, boxes, tow tractors, and other warehouse equipments - decorated the dilapidated and darkened area along with a few rays of light that seeped in through the cracks of the old windows. The twosome separated in search of the lawbreakers.

Tommy had found his way up to the second floor of the warehouse but swiftly came across a swinging chain. He moved a bit slow ducking and thus the swinging chain struck his shoulder which led him to drop his gun. An armed offender charged at him, this time he prevented to make the same mistake.

Aware he only had his arms and legs to fight the man he pivoted at the very moment the offender was sure to make contact with Tommy. The offender stopped on his tracks, realized he had missed, quickly turned around but regrettably encountered Tommy's powerful roundhouse kick which sent him careening towards the railing. The kick hurt like hell. He dropped to the ground, groaned and went for his gun except Tommy had the upper-hand and kicked it out of his reach.

The disposal of man number one had proven quite effortless and proceeded to hunt for man number two.

**- - - - -**

Takuya on the other hand exchanged several rounds of bullets with another bandit, seeking shield from a storage crate. He comprehended that until one of them made a mistake, this match would be a stalemate; however, the idea of him making a mistake didn't strike him as the wiser adversary. Instead, he needed a new strategy.

"Ok, let's see what I can do," he muttered. He looked over to where a tow tractor slumbered peacefully, not a few feet from him over to the right. Then he saw that just behind him, one large storage crate horizontally blocked the other side, a route for Takuya to make his way on the other side.

He did so, quietly as he could and rested at his new position behind the tow tractor. He watched his opponent and sure enough he could see him, anticipating his next appearance and shooting at the precise second his head came into view. Unlucky for him, but lucky for Takuya, he pulled out an extra clip – as soon as he saw his opponent's head retreated he tossed the extra clip in the open area. As he expected, the masked man open-fired revealing himself widely-open and helpless. Takuya took the pleasure of putting a bullet on his left leg. He heard the man howled in crucial pain and realized he had won that round.

He trained his gun to his fallen foe as he cautiously approached. The victim clutched his injured leg cursing at Takuya. He picked up the gun and motioned for the removal of the remaining weapons. One by one a sub-machine gun and a couple of different handguns fell near Takuya's feet, even several kinds of knife were tossed aside.

Takuya's attention reverted to Tommy's echoing footsteps and gunfire on the second floor, running and evading bullets hot on his trail. Tommy signaled for help. Takuya aimed at one moving target, released a few, occasionally hitting the railing the bullet bouncing off.

Back on the ground floor, he ran equivalent to the men upstairs making contact with a staircase. He couldn't let his partner get hurt or he'd never forgive himself. He hoped to cut them off before his buddy was shot. He drew his gun running head-on, yet suddenly, very unexpectedly the broken lights of the warehouse illuminated the once darkened vicinity. Everyone stopped, Takuya shielded his eyes.

"Kanbara and all other units, report out front," the radio patched on Takuya's shoulder blasted.

"Out front?" the two offenders questioned, walking near Takuya.

"Ah, I guess training's over," one of the men said.

"That's too bad. I was just beginning to enjoy kicking Tommy's -"

Takuya interrupted. "Give it a rest Hotaru. Let's see why the Chief stopped us."

That being said, Takuya holstered his gun. All four men made their way downstairs. Takuya and Tommy went ahead of Hotaru and Ito, the supposedly bad guys - who had to pick up their two partners, Ryosho and Omie, the two men Tommy and Takuya eliminated.

The duo ventured outside in the dusty environment where they were greeted by Chief DeLantai and Detective Dewey.

Chief DeLantai was a man a bit on the heavy side. With white hair, narrow eyebrows and tight brown almond-shape eyes, he stood five-foot five. He looked like a jolly man but really, his actions preferred the complete opposite.

While the Chief was stout and irritable, Detective Dewey on the other hand was calm and cheerful. He stood five-foot six, dark hair and dark eyes. The officers on the force respected him more than the Chief probably because of his optimistic view and positive attitude.

"Sorry to cut your training fellas," Detective Dewey said, "but we've got you a bit of homework."

The twosome exchanged glances.

"Is it really _that _important to have interrupted us? We had four men down! You should have seen the awesome work Tommy and I did, we -"

The Chief nodded. "Kanbara! I know what you are capable of and that is why I had Tommy train under your supervision. I do know where you stand in the force."

"A job well done, boys," Detective Dewey commented, giving a thumb up.

Takuya and Tommy felt proud and maybe their hard work had finally paid off. They wondered what kind of "homework" they would be given. Maybe an undercover job? Or what about an escort to some wealthy politician who needed protection? Ah, perhaps collaboration works with the CIA or someone from Interpol.

"I have a special assignment just for the two of you. Today at exactly 4:45, former police officer Kouiji Minamoto will be arriving. Pick him up and bring him to the Shibuya Ward's Office," Chief DeLantai instructed. "When you get back I will further educate you of your new responsibilities which I think you will find suitable to your performance."

"Did you say Minamoto?" Tommy interrogated. "Hmm, I wonder if he's related to Kouichi. I heard him say he has a brother."

"I'd bet all the money in my wallet that Kouji _is_ the brother Kouchi talked about," Detective Dewey declared.

"And how much would that be?" Tommy questioned.

"Tommy!" Takuya growled.

"Sorry," Tommy answered back.

Takuya felt frustrated with the news and announced a litany of reasons why he didn't feel obliged to the situation. His special assignment was to pick up Kouichi's brother? Why couldn't he just take a cab over the Ward Office? Maybe he even has to drop off this ex-cop to his humble abode. That definitely ticked him off.

"Calm down Takuya, I'm sure there's an explanation to all of this. Let's just obey the orders," Tommy urged his partner on.

Takuya sighed and accepted that Tommy was right, he was just overreacting. Lately he hadn't been assigned any special-class assignment that upon hearing Chief DeLantai say they were to deliver someone they don't even know was their special work made him flip out. He apologized for his unacceptable outburst and accepted the assignment as a way to redeem himself.

"I'm very impressed with your effort today Tommy. With two shots and BAM! Two crooks fall out of the pick-up trucks. And that roundhouse kick proved to be very powerful. Don't think the supervisors and I weren't watching your every move. Those surveillance cameras have proven useful as well."

"Well D. Dewey, luck was with me today," Tommy said honestly. "By the way, why was there a cow in the middle of nowhere?"

Detective Dewey shrugged. "Unit one didn't know where to put the props. Must've dropped them off wherever they found space and they've made Aoyama Police Training Limits (APTL) seemed real enough they forgot cows didn't exist in a desert! I told them to instead make a city-style ground rather than the desert, but no one listened."

Chief DeLantai placed his hands on his hips. "All right boys, time to get going. Hurry up, you're wasting time!"

Meanwhile, Hotaru and Ito emerged from the warehouse with Ryosho and Omie, their arms draped on the two stable men. Ryosho – the person Takuya shot on the leg - limped.

"Next time we get on training, you'll be the bad cop and I'll be the pursuer. Let's see how well you enjoy it when I put a _real_ bullet on your leg," Ryosho mocked grimacing in pain.

"At least I didn't fire off a real one. It was blank!" Takuya defended himself.

"I have on a bullet proof vest, not on the leg. It hurts and burns like hell!"

"Whoa! Take it easy!" Takuya announced. Ryosho limped over near Takuya and gave him a quick blow to the stomach.

"Ugh!" he leaned over. "That makes it fair right?" Takuya barely got it out of his mouth as he slumped over holding his stomach.

"Heh, for now," he answered contently and they were gone.

Tommy assisted Takuya as he gained balanced and hopped inside the damaged police car. Within a minute or so they sped off APTL, soon to meet the infamous former police officer Kouji Minamoto.

**- - - - -**

**4:40 PM**

"Man! Is the train ever going to come?" Takuya impatiently asked as he tapped his foot lightly.

Tommy looked over. "Relax would you? Only five more minutes and he'll be here."

Takuya and Tommy stood beside a public map, waiting for the arrival of Kouji Minamoto. Junsacho Kanbara looked at a picture of the man they waited for, glancing up once in a while. Takuya felt tired and very hungry after a good day's training. He pocketed the picture and leaned on the white wall behind him. Finally, Tommy nudged him.

"The train's here. Get ready to spot him."

"Finally!" Takuya exclaimed in joy.

The Sendai train noisily screeched to a stop at exactly 4:45 PM, as Takuya looked on his watch. They approached the doors of the train hoping to greet Kouji; however, the man they looked forward to meeting dashed beyond their reach, toppling them over, before they even had the chance to lay eyes on him.

"What was that?" Tommy cried out straightening his police suit.

"No time for questions Tommy, we gotta run!" Takuya shouted grabbing his arms, rushing through the flood of people.

Apparently, Kouji witnessed the two officers from the inside the train and his wits alerted him to run rather than the wait-and-see cycle. He became nervous at the sight of them that the initial reaction that came over him was those two police men were after him.

Kouji weaved in and out of people trying to avoid collision or knocking someone out of consciousness. "Just run and try," he muttered under his breath.

Takuya and Tommy sprinted after Kouji, mentally hitting themselves for letting him escape before they even introduced their names. They ran for what seemed like eternity brushing shoulders with city dwellers or the city dwellers screaming and clearing the way for two upset police officers. They pursued Kouji's every move – jumping over chairs and tables outside cafés, crossing the streets at a green light and even going through a restaurant's kitchen – in hopes of catching him.

Kouji, nonetheless, led them to a public parking lot of a mall. He managed to avoid the cops which bought him time to hide behind cars and prayed he'd make it safely to the other side of the parking lot without having to deal with the law, though he wasn't going to give himself up that easily either.

Takuya and Tommy separated in hopes of a better chance of trapping Kouji. Kouji saw through their plan. He crouched and crawled between the spaces of the cars. As he silently crawled towards the back of the brand new BMW, he caught sight of Takuya's feet on the other side. Probably some rich snob was shopping here along with his other rich friends but felt no sympathy if the rich man's car would be a contributor in stopping his adversary, as he had concluded. He waited for Takuya at the end of the car and most surprisingly executed a sweep kick which tripped Junsacho Kanbara.

"Ugh! What the heck did you do that for!" he yelled from the ground.

"Stay away from me," Kouji replied coldly and ran as he noticed Tommy's presence getting closer.

"Get him Tommy!" he commanded and he too ran after the culprit with swift speed. "Stop running from us! We've got business with you!"

Kouji took a quick look and pondered, _Business with me you say? What's that? Lock me up somewhere I can't complete my own business? No thanks. I've got places to go and people to meet. See you around slow pokes._

Tommy ran as fast as he could but the route Kouji desired placed obstacles for him. He came from the left with a bit of distance between him and Kouji. With that problem installed, Kouji put an even greater distance by taking a right turn and jumped over cars. With Tommy behind, it was up to Takuya to end the ridiculous and tiring chase. Takuya also jumped over cars with regret that the owners would blame him for the damage. No matter, he'd have perfectly reasonable explanation for the incident, he hoped.

After five minutes of jumping and hoping they finally returned to the ground. The people on the parking lot gave shocked expressions as police officers zipped passed them. Kouji took another right turn, this time the format of the parking lot changed. Cars no longer parked in their respective spaces, but rather lined up on the right side as one would park a car on a street in a right-handed driven country. The strip of pavement led to the exit.

As Kouji ran, an old man slowly and tediously walked toward his car, taking forever however, pressing a little device which made the car accessible. He saw this as an opportunity to stop Takuya. He came up with a plan that he had to play and make it look real. As he ran he created the impression that he had tripped and had lost momentum and balance, giving Takuya time to catch up. He rolled to the ground, he didn't know how realistic it looked but it worked nonetheless. Takuya gained full speed, as Kouji expected.

The old man's car was two car lengths away. He brought himself back up and gradually took little steps forward as he looked back. He kept watch of Takuya on the side mirror for precise timing. He looked back one more time and flashed Takuya a smile which aggravated him.

_So long_, he told himself. Then he heard Takuya's scream very confident that his tracker would grab him any second, but his planned proved Junsacho Kanbara wrong. Kouji swiftly opened the car door giving Takuya the satisfaction of crashing onto the inanimate extremity of the car with such force the glass window completely shattered.

"Ow! I'm starting to dislike him!" Takuya grunted as he lay on his back. "We're not done!"

Tommy came to Takuya's aid a minute too late. He wanted to follow Kouji but saw Takuya needed more attention.

Kouji turned to his fallen pursuer and without delay did a two finger salute before disappearing out of sight.

**- - - - -**

He walked out of the Ward's clinic with a bandaged head, arm, and fists. He sat down on a table where he waited for Tommy to bring him a warm cup of tea as he read the _Times_ magazine in Japanese print. He thought escorting Kouji would be no problem at all. He wondered why he acted the way he did and why everything went haywire. Perhaps upon his arrival to Shibuya Ward Office would clear things up, especially after dealing business with Chief DeLantai and Detective Dewey.

Normally he would converse with other police officers but today he felt that his energy had gone dry and rest was what he needed most. Tommy came in with a warm tea on his hand which he set on the table.

"Drink it while it's hot," he urged.

"Thanks for the tea. I didn't even ask you for one," he answered.

"I felt terrible about earlier. I was nowhere in my league today. I guess I need more training in order to keep up with you. I apologize," said Tommy.

He took a sip of his tea, set it down and spoke. "I don't want you to think about that anymore. You're a great partner and everyone makes mistake. It was my own fault I fell victim to him. I let my guard down because I thought for certain I would've had him. Nevertheless, he was very smart."

The two men continued talking about the day's work - the good points and the bad points, the most exciting activity and the least exciting activity. As they conversed, some of the women police officers arrived in the "coffee room" – but no one really drank coffee - and questioned if he was all right. They wanted to make sure he didn't suffer any headaches or other injuries that the nurse inside the clinic might have overlooked. He assured them he was all right and told them he would call them if he needed anything. Agreed to the deal they made, the ladies went away.

"I swear, sometimes I think those women chose the wrong career. They shouldn't be here!"

"I couldn't have agreed more. So how are you feeling?"

"Other than my head throbbing, my left arm sore, my right arm badly injured, bandage sticking to my cuts, I feel fine," answered.

Tommy raised a brow and chuckled. "Is that sarcasm I hear?"

"What? I didn't hear it in my voice so I suppose not."

"Right. You're not feeling well at the moment. You're getting weird," Tommy mocked, shaking his head.

Meanwhile, outside the coffee room, Chief DeLantai and Detective Dewey had finally introduced themselves to Kouji.

"Please, take a seat," Chief DeLantai gestured to the chair in front of him.

Kouji stared at him before he took his seat across the Chief. "Let's get on with it shall we?"

Detective Dewey sat on the empty seat beside Kouji. The Chief's office presented itself quite neatly. On the walls hung several photographs of Chief DeLantai – back in the days when he won outstanding awards – and several photos of him and other important commissioners of the city. Two black filing cabinets towered the chief's mahogany desk. Japan's flag mounted on a pole behind the desk, and stacks of paper settled on a corner of the room, neglected.

"Welcome to Shibuya!" greeted the Chief warmly, "it's where your dangerous work begins. Detective Warren sent me documentations and other important details in order to grant you a new identity. Shall we begin?"

"I'm as ready as you are," replied Kouji.

"Good then. I will need your finger prints, profile picture, and DNA sample. All are needed to authenticate this process and especially your new identity," the Chief explained demandingly. "Your brother will be here shortly to obtain your DNA. As you can see, he has made this profile-demands very hi-tech. Without him collecting DNA samples and storing it in our files, criminals would be hard to find."

"I'm proud of his work," Kouji answered.

Detective Dewey shifted his weight on the chair from side to side trying to get comfortable.

"I have a question for you," he said.

Kouji turned his undivided attention to the detective and gave a single nod.

"Why did you run away from our officers? We gave them specific orders to take you here," he said with concern.

Kouji fell silent for a minute before he answered. "You know, I just wasn't aware of anyone picking me up. I could've at least been informed of the situation. I suppose all those times I've been running from the cops back in Sendai made me nervous to face them and knew I had a job to do and couldn't risk being captured. I do, however, apologize for whatever trouble I caused you and them."

"I told you Dan, we should've been the one to pick him up," the Chief commented.

"Sir, you said no such thing. Might you forget you were the one who intentionally planned the pick up. I'm just reminding you."

Kouji glanced at Detective Dewey then over to Chief DeLantai who by now looked down on his desk, scribbling some notes. The Chief cleared his throat and pretended he didn't hear anything.

"Are you hungry?" he asked Kouji.

Kouji nodded. "I'm famished."

Just then, the door burst open and in popped Kouichi Minamoto with an IV-tube, needle, and other medical equipment needed to extract Kouji's blood.

"Brother!" Kouichi cried. As Kouji stood up, both brothers welcomed each other with a warm embrace. "Good to see you here."

"Likewise," was his answer.

It took no more than ten minutes to gather Kouji's blood. He was never much for needles but his brother handled him fairly well which made the process faster. Before anyone said any word, the door swung open and in came Takuya and Tommy.

Takuya blinked his eyes several times. "Wow," he said in awe, "you two really looked very much alike. I thought for sure when Kouichi passed by the coffee room it was Kouji. But then I figured it couldn't be right."

Tommy reacted similarly to Takuya.

"I do believe you've all met," Chief DeLantai assumed. Everyone nodded.

"In an unusual situation," Kouji commented. "I don't suppose you would count that as a formal introduction."

Takuya scoffed. "I certainly don't." Immediately, quick as lightning, Kouji's attention reverted towards Takuya. Their eyes clashed with each other, none of them blinking, each expressing a serious look.

Tommy, the observant audience, realized that tension between these two young men slowly and dangerously built up. They've crossed each other's path and introductory formalities were out of the question. None of the two cared if they had to learn each other's name the correct way. The first impressions they had earlier was enough to bring these two on opposite ends.

"I'm quite pleased with the gentlemen I have here," Chief DeLantai commented as he put one hand on each of Takuya and Kouji's shoulder. "Believe it or not, both of you will be working together."

And so they will work together, however, grudgingly.

They shook hands, their grip a bit too tight for a proper handshake. Each second the clock ticked, their grip grew tighter, crushing each other's fingers on the spot.

"I look forward working with you, Takuya." His piercing blue eyes seemed to swallow Takuya as a whole. _Next time you try and run after me, make sure I don't ruin a perfectly nice car. I don't mind leaving dents on a rich man's car, but that poor old man must still be cursing up to now,_ he thought.

"So do I. I can't wait to start, Kouji." His light-brown eyes shot flaming daggers at Kouji. _Well, just be yourself why dontcha? I was doing you a favor and what did you give me back in return? An injured body, thanks a lot. Remind me to give you a present like mine in the near future all right?_ he pondered.

Detective Dewey finally broke their grip. Denying the pain, the duo pocketed their hands to shield the redness of their hands.

"Now that introductions are over, it's time to get to work. I just have a wonderful feeling that you two will become the best of friends," the detective praised as laughed, patting both men's shoulder, Takuya still grimacing from the pain.

**TBC…**

A/N: Yes, I know, Zoe and JP are still missing in the picture. Relax, all right? While you wait please take your time to review this. Thank you.


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